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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
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
Taken by the Mafia King Why Not?
TommasoThe weather had finally grown warm enough for Paige and I to eat on the patio, so we took the chicken masala Miranda had made out there to enjoy the last rays of sunset. I glanced at her. She’d been fidgety since she came down, but not the same kind of excited fidgety I’d seen when we left the house. Something had changed, and I didn’t know what yet.“I heard from Marybeth,” I said. “The owners were so impressed by our all-cash offer that they’re even willing to trim closing.”She smiled limply and spooned up a bite. Her oversized sweater sagged off her shoulder, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of skin barely hidden by her hair.I sipped my wine. “How was the rest of your afternoon?”“Busy,” she said, distraction edging her voice.I raised an eyebrow.She sighed in a huge whoosh of air, and I knew I had her.“I just came home, and I wanted to spend all afternoon on the shelter, but then Chris needed me for something urgent.” She shrugged and poked at her food. “And I just didn
Taken by the Mafia King Clarity
PaigeI lay in my bed, staring up at the mural I’d grown so used to on my ceiling and trying not to lose my goddamn mind. Why did I say anything about marriage? Why did Tom have to look so absolutely, unshakably certain when he said we should? How could I possibly go to sleep knowing that?I turned over and punched my pillow into a new shape. I’d grabbed Tom’s wrist as I left the dinner table and asked him to sleep in my bed tonight. The last thing I wanted was for him to think I’d freaked out because I didn’t love him. I really, really did. But marriage?Thankfully, he had some mob deal or other tonight, so I had the bed to myself at least until he finished that. If he were here, I just knew he’d sense my confusion and try to keep talking about it. But every time Tom talked, he made these huge, sweeping promises that I had no idea how he was ever going to keep. Marriage. Supporting us both. Giving me access to all his bank accounts and never turning back.If I kept thinking about him
Taken by the Mafia King Big idea
Paige“So?” I said. “What do you think?”Tom nodded slowly, his eyes on the road as we drove to therapy. “I think it’s a great idea, honestly.”I tapped my feet against the floor, out of time with the music pouring softly from the speakers. Emotion coursed through my veins. Nerves? Excitement? A dizzying mixture of both? I couldn’t quite tell.“I’m just worried about the money.” I stared out the window. “The house was already a lot, and now this—”Tom grabbed my hand and squeezed. “I will make sure the money’s not a problem.”We pulled into the parking lot of Lauren’s office, and I sucked in a deep breath. When Tom promised to work hard enough to erase a problem, I had no trouble believing him. I just didn’t know if I could actually make my ideas make sense to anyone else. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like basically the best idea I’d ever had, and I didn’t want to do anything to mess it up.The walk from the car to Lauren’s office disappeared in my jitters. Tom sque
Taken by the Mafia King Sunrise
TommasoI paced back and forth in front of the line of chairs by Lauren’s door. I couldn’t hear anything, as always, but I’d never really wanted to before. When Paige told me she wanted to bring Lauren in on the shelter project, I saw her vision immediately. Lauren was a bulldog on the phone with me, refusing to give up anything that would compromise Paige, but by the way Paige described her, she was a sweetheart in session. I couldn’t imagine someone more perfect to round out the shelter.Of course, just in case Lauren said no, I’d spent the first half of the session gathering a list of other female therapists with mob connections. It was a short list, at least inside the city, and none of them had the trauma specialization that Lauren did, but Paige was going to need someone with her. The mob connections were just so the women asked fewer questions when the rescues came in. I knew Paige wanted her own thing, away from the life, but I needed to keep both of us safe.The door opened b
Taken by the Mafia King Not Quite Done
PaigeThree Months Later…I swiped sweat off my forehead and stepped out of the blistering August heat into the air conditioning of Raphael’s Angel Haven. Upbeat pop music blared from the stereo under the television in the common room, and a few of the women danced and laughed. Becca, who’d just left an abusive boyfriend, grabbed Asha, a newer member of the group who’d just moved in off the streets, and after a bit of hesitance, Asha joined the dance.I grinned. Somehow, in just a few months, I’d actually managed to put together the women’s shelter. When we cut the ribbon a couple of months back, I’d finally unveiled the name to Mom and everyone else. Mom cried, of course, and she’d only cried harder when I explained that I wanted these women to have Dad looking over them, just like I always did growing up. I blew a kiss to the picture of him I’d hung on the front wall and started heading back to make sure everything was running smoothly.Heavy footsteps clomped down the stairs, and I
Taken by the Mafia King The Real Boss
TommasoI followed Paige to her office where sat behind her low-slung, light wood desk, and I couldn’t help marveling at her in the summer sun. She’d regained all the weight she’d lost during her captivity, and her soft, round cheeks had picked up a sprinkling of freckles over the few beach trips I’d managed to coax her away from the house long enough to take. She’d given up her oversized sweaters for slouchy crop-tops and shorts that she said allowed the women here to see her like one of them rather than the mean house manager, but she carried herself with a confidence that told everyone she passed as exactly who held the power in the room.I dropped into the light green chair on the opposite side of the desk and smiled. “You know, these days, it feels more like you’re the don and I’m the capo.”She laughed. “Here? You think this is the sort of office I’d have as a don?”I glanced around the light, sun-drenched space. It looked like no mafia office I’d ever seen in my life. “I think
Taken by the Mafia King Mile High
PaigeI climbed out of the car I’d learned to drive over the last few months, a little red coupe Tom insisted on buying me because it matched my hair, and headed up to the door as the sun set behind me. After my meeting with Tom, I’d spent the rest of my day running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to get everything in order for an influx of women in only a couple of days. Lauren had too many clients to help too much, but she put together a list of potential new therapists, and everybody else pitched in where they could. I was pretty sure we could handle it.The door opened in front of me, and I startled back a step. Tom stood there with two overnight bags in his hands.“What—”“We have to head to the airport.” He grinned and offered one of the bags to me.“The raid isn’t until tomorrow.” I trailed after him toward his favorite car, which was in the driveway instead of the garage like usual. “What are you talking about?”He opened the trunk and dropped both bags in.
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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
