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Taken by the Mafia King Reclamation
PaigeTom led me up the stairs to the Mansion, the building where my nightmare started, and I dimly remembered just waking up in the basement the first time around. This close, I could see the banner much more clearly. Raphael’s Angel Haven – North Philadelphia. The sign looked hand-lettered and sloppy, like Tom or one of the contractors had painted it at the last minute. I ran my hand over the outside, trying to convince myself the sky-blue paint was real.“I’m sorry I hid this from you,” Tom said as he pulled out a ring of keys. “It just took so long, and you kept getting more and more stressed, so it seemed smarter and smarter to just make the aesthetic decisions and let you change them if you wanted.”He unlocked the door and pushed it open. The foyer of the Mansion spread out in front of me. The beautiful wood floor remained, and so did the sweeping staircases, but everything else had been changed. The dour walls became pastels much like the ones Sera and I had agonized over for
Taken by the Mafia King Moving In
TommasoBarely a week had passed before Paige gave the news to her staff at the shelter, hired a handful of new staff, and was ready to begin moving women into the redone Mansion. I’d barely seen her in the flurry of activity, other than when she dropped into bed next to me at night, but every time I’d seen her, she wore a wide smile. I pulled up the driveway of the new shelter in between meetings and grinned. The blue had actually been Mel’s idea, inspired by the other house’s colors, and it was a stroke of genius. In one step, it took the imposing old house from the place that held an auction every year to somewhere people could go to feel safe.The banner I’d come up with at the last minute had disappeared from over the door. I wasn’t surprised. Writing with a paintbrush turned out to be a lot harder than a pen, and I’d used a random drop cloth as a base. Paige probably wanted something a little more professional. I climbed out of the car and headed up the stairs. The front door st
Taken by the Mafia King Surreal
KillianTommaso arrived so soon after I called him that I distantly expected police sirens on his tail. Having him back here was strange. He and Paige had been over for a few dinners since the Egypt incident, but it felt like old time to meet him in the entryway and lead him back to my office. The shadows on his face reminded me just how different his home was, how much time I’d spent there with him behind the big desk. Seeing him settle down across from me in his old chair called back old habits. I watched light shine through my drink onto my desk.“I’ve been patient,” Tom said. “Let you do your whole scary set-up. Now, you have to tell me who your successor is.”What an odd thing to have. I never really expected to leave this desk behind. But with Sera, I wanted more for the first time. A life where she didn’t have to look over her shoulder. Time.“I thought for a long time,” I said.“And it’s me, right?” He grinned. “You figured I could probably run two whole syndicates without mis
Taken by the Mafia King Like Magic
Sera“I love you, too.” I stared up at Killian, trying to understand his mood shift. “I’m always glad to hear that, but what’s going on?”“You can go, Olivia,” he said without looking away from me. I heard the unmistakable shuffle of her exiting as fast as she could. “Kil—”Before I could even finish the word, he claimed my mouth again. I gasped up into him and let desire wash away my confusion. He took the opportunity to thrust his tongue into my mouth, exploring every inch. I wrapped myself around him. With all the wedding craziness, we’d barely had time for each other lately, and I missed him. He ran his hands up the front of my blouse, then grabbed both sides and yanked. Buttons scattered in every direction. I pouted against his lips.He pulled away to rake his gaze over my chest. “I’ll buy you a new shirt.”I fought down a smile. If Killian bought me a shirt, it would cover less than most of my bras. But that thought fled my mind too as he pulled both of my bra cups down beneath
Taken by the Mafia King Growing Up
PaigeI walked up the front steps of the imposing manor house Sera shared with Killian for the first time without Tom next to me. Mom and Dad used to get quiet when we drove past the Ricci place, as though Carmine Ricci could hear us from the street. I thought I’d gotten over a lot of that, especially after what happened in Egypt, but a little of the old fear shivered down my spine as I rang the doorbell with the hand not holding the garment bag.The massive wood door sprang open almost instantly, and Joyce swept me up in a huge hug. I struggled between smiling and choking until she released me.“Oh, even without the dress you’re beautiful.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “Miss Sera and Olivia are upstairs already. Go, join them.” She shooed me away.I laughed as I fled up the massive staircase and thanked God Sera texted me directions through the house before I started the drive over. Joyce was too excited to help me navigate the mausoleum, and “upstairs” didn’t exactly get me to the
Taken by the Mafia King Disco Ball
SeraI spun into the middle of the dance floor with a glittering drink in my hand and laughter on my lips. My tight, fitted white minidress caught the light and shone. The rest of my bachelorette party flocked to me like moths to a flame as the beat rattled through my towering heels.Paige glowed in a deep purple number she admitted to buying for the occasion to complement my dress, several-hundred-dollar proof we were actually friends, and she hadn’t said yes to joining the bridal party because she felt bad or something. Olivia danced slightly off rhythm because she kept glancing over her shoulder at Patrick against the wall, who could barely look away from her. Fiona and Joyce grabbed each other’s hands and swayed like cousins at a family wedding, but their brilliant smiles nearly outshone the strobe lights. Penny, in one of the most scandalous dresses I’d ever seen her wear, shimmied like I didn’t know part of her mind was worrying about Michael at home. And at the edge of the grou
Taken by the Mafia King The Ricci Line
KillianI sat at a mirrored dressing table Sera had actually been right that I would need and adjusted the sides of my tie. She’d insisted that, to commemorate the special occasion of our wedding, I had to wear something other than black or gray. I’d assented to a tie in the deep blue-violet Sera had chosen for the main wedding color. Apparently, it contrasted the flowers but didn’t clash.“Looks uneven,” Tommaso said as he sauntered into the room.“I’ve been tying my own tie for forty-three goddamn years—”“Forty-four,” he corrected. “You forgetting how old you are now?.”I turned back to the mirror, away from my best man. I shook my head at him. “I wasn’t tying ties when I was a baby.” Today was also the anniversary of my father’s death, after all. The man who’d taught me how to tie the ties I’d been wearing all my life. He’d raised me to be the man I was before Sera. Mano Della Morte, running Philadelphia with an iron fist. Vividly, I remembered being sent home from kindergarten f
Taken by the Mafia King Marryingfor Love
SeraIn the upstairs dressing room I had constructed as part of the wedding planning process, I sat in front of a professional makeup artist like I had for the last hour. My neck ached, the cute, poofy chair had grown uncomfortable, and I really wished I’d eaten another croissant before I let her put on my lipstick.I’d never been happier in my whole life. All the women from my bachelorette party fluttered around the room, fixing small stains or finding bobby pins or, in Joyce’s case, reattaching the heel to a shoe. Helping each other. Emma had made a girl-pop playlist that she’d presented to me shyly last night, and I’d thrown my arms around her and demanded we play it all morning, so bubbly synthetic guitar poured through the space.“Done.” The makeup artist stepped back.I blinked, rubbed my neck, and started to look at myself in the mirror.“Not yet!” My mother pushed herself between me and the mirror before I could see everything. “Oh, Sera, you’re so beautiful.” She hugged me ca
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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
