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Picking Up the Pieces
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Taken by the Mafia King Clean Up
TommasoAll the guys who’d helped that night with the raid crowded into my office, and I passed out glasses of my favorite scotch. Killian took a whiff and grimaced playfully. Even though we had to hide out here to keep from scaring the women in the den, there was a celebratory mood in the air. We’d done it! Not only had we gotten all the women out and taken Tony down, we’d gotten off basically scot-free. Vince got winged, but we didn’t even need to interrupt Sera to patch him up. Teddy had done it with a splash of cheap vodka and a couple wound closure strips.“All right.” I lifted my glass. “To the Conti syndicate.”“Conti!” Everyone knocked their glasses together and drank.“Stan, progress report?” I took my seat.He cleared his throat. “I’ve put word out through the appropriate channels, and the Philly PD is claiming a massive success in taking down a sex trafficking ring just outside the city.”The men cheered again.“That doesn’t mean there won’t be questions,” I said. “When som
Taken by the Mafia King Blast From the Past
TommasoMy heart pounded in my throat. Riccardo Marino had seen through my fucking ruse. He knew exactly what had happened, and he was going to bury me for it. Served me right for getting so fucking cocky after one win.“How’d you hear that?” I asked, trying to keep my voice level.Riccardo laughed. I could picture him stretched out in one of the back rooms of the Mansion, grinning to himself over the enjoyment he was going to get out of toying with me.“Oh, Tony and I go way back,” he said. “I keep tabs on his operation, and he mentioned that you were heading over there tonight to dip your toes into the skin trade.”I shuddered. “What do you want me to say? The cops broke down the door, and I bolted. My getaway was cleaner than his.”“Interesting.” Riccardo hummed to himself. “Did you know that, other than you, that raid had a 100 percent fatality rate?”“I didn’t.” I squared my shoulders and tried to project confidence. “I don’t exactly go hunting down statistics on crimes I’m tryin
Taken by the Mafia King Never Enough
PaigeI stood in the airport with Jamie the next morning, holding onto her hand and fighting to stay with her in my mind. Old memories popped out at me from around every corner. The flight attendant on the plane that one bastard took us on who didn’t notice anything was wrong. The tense flight home next to Tom, waiting for him to tell me he was about to sell me to the highest bidder. That particular memory felt a little silly when I looked back. He’d done nothing but show me kindness, even the few times I forced his hand and made him grab me. Of course, he meant what he said.Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Tom. He’d come in a separate car and had been holding a perimeter with a few of his guys, all undercover. Last night, Jamie confessed that she’d only been away from home for three weeks and that no one had really touched her yet—though I didn’t press on the emphasis she applied to “really”—but she was still a little leery of Tom and his men. I smiled at him, and he nodded ba
Taken by the Mafia King Big Shoes to Phil
TommasoThe next day, I climbed into the car and drove out to Tony’s warehouse. If Riccardo knew I was at the raid, my only safe bet was to assume everyone did. But a late-night meeting with Stan after Riccardo hung up resulted in a plan to turn that in our favor. I put the word out to a couple of the guys I’d inherited from other operations that Carp didn’t trust me. I said that I’d be taking over the warehouse, claiming it with survivor’s rights. It shored up the story that I was dipping my toes into sex trafficking and kept anyone from nosing around the warehouse and finding anything out of place we might’ve missed.Of course, nothing in this life was ever that fucking easy, so a couple of the suppliers Tony worked for got their feathers ruffled. Constant calls to the few numbers I’d publicized adjacent to me had Lyle bogged down with messages for days. Through the noise, there seemed to be one ringleader—or at least, one motherfucker louder than any of the others. I’d had Lyle set
Taken by the Mafia King Getting Better
PaigeA couple of days after the raid, only a two of the women remained at Tom’s, Andi and another one named Claire. One was a runaway from an abusive family, the other her partner, so they had nowhere to go. They’d moved into their own guestrooms on the same hall as me. I wandered into the guest sitting room, where the two of them had started spending most of their days, and found Caterina and Joyce there with them. Caterina caught my eye and nodded off to the side.“What’s up?” I said when she stepped up to me. I still couldn’t get over Sera’s undead mom just being in my house.She sighed. “I’ve been talking with Joyce, and it seems like what these women need is someone to get them a job and a place to live.”I nodded, mentally filing that away for services my facility would need. “That makes sense. If they were trying to get away, they’re about as away as they can get.”“Andi ran away from home during her senior year of high school, a few months ago, so she doesn’t have much traini
Taken by the Mafia King In the Quiet
PaigeAll the thoughts in my mind melted away as I opened my mouth to his kiss. I’d spent the last three days—more—putting everything into this work, and so had Tom. His mouth promised a moment of peace and quiet, where we could just be ourselves. I spun my chair around to kiss him more comfortably, and he cupped my face with a tender hand. I smiled against his mouth. He chuckled in return.I stood slowly so he could adjust, tasting him with every swipe of my tongue. I’d already started getting used to the exact taste of his lips, the way he smelled when he was so close. He enfolded me and blocked the world out. I nudged him toward the bed, and he stepped easily back.He pulled away from my mouth to kiss along my cheekbone, flick my earlobe with his tongue, and lave attention down my neck. I gasped quietly.“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured.I pushed him down onto the bed and straddled him. He sat up and began easing my shirt up my torso. I didn’t flinch, didn’t hesitate. Something s
Taken by the Mafia King Shopping Trip
TommasoWe didn’t end up leaving bed quickly enough, so I called a realtor after Paige finally drifted off to sleep, and we headed out to meet the extremely bubbly woman after therapy the next morning. Paige held my hand across the gear shift in my little black coupe on the way, and I couldn’t stop smiling. I had to remind myself we were shopping for locations for a women’s shelter, that we weren’t a happy couple shopping for our first home together. The way she looked at me, after spending half the day in bed the day before, made it difficult to remember.When we pulled up to the first location, I frowned. Every place we were seeing used to be some kind of shelter, and this one looked like the shelters you saw in cop shows about how awful inner cities are.Paige bit her lip. “It’s the cheapest place.”“I can tell.” I climbed out of the car.A woman bounced up to us, her mountain of curls wobbling as she moved, and smiled like she was in an ad for teeth-whitening. “Hi! I’m Marybeth Ol
Taken by the Mafia King Our House
PaigeI bounded up the stairs after the house tours, clutching my phone to my chest. I couldn’t believe we’d found the perfect place. I took about a billion pictures, and I couldn’t wait to show my fri—I reached the door to my room and slowed. Tom had been there with me. And he kind of began and ended the list of people I could call my friends. I couldn’t exactly text Jules from work, and while I’d had a few conversations recently with my mom, I didn’t want to open with “I’m involved in illicit anti-sex trafficking operations.” I couldn’t imagine a sentence more likely to make her come sprinting home from the Riviera. I opened my door slowly.Sera did say she wanted to help however she could, and this aftercare stuff seemed much more her speed than tagging along on extractions. If I texted her, she’d be over here with that whole team in ten minutes. I just kind of wished I had someone other than Tom I could call a friend instead of being a small star in a loose constellation of women
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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
