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The Lady of the House
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Taken by the Mafia King Head on a Platter
KillianMy hand tightened on my revolver as I crouched in the scant undergrowth of forest, fingers itching to shoot something.The moon hung above us in the starlit sky, the wind biting through my overcoat and slicing my cheeks. Fuck winter. Why the hell was I here instead of in my bed warmed by Sera?I was tired and irritated after watching the log cabin at the bottom of the slope for the past two hours. There was no evidence of life within it.“How the hell does Alphonsi know Niccolò’s in there?” Tommaso asked beside me, his breath clouding in front of him. The other guys were holding down the fort at the hotel we booked while we tried to make sure we had the right location. “And why isn’t the bastard here freezing his ass off with us?”It wasn’t the first time that question was asked. Scott’s reasoning was that his men already put in their hours tracking Niccolò’s movements. There was also the concern that this was just a setup between Scott and Niccolò and that the latter had some
Taken by the Mafia King A Warrant
SeraI was asleep in Killian’s room, surrounded by his musk and soft silk, when I woke to the sound of people shouting and shattering glass.Dread sluiced through my body, adrenaline replacing the blood in my veins, as I chose fight over flight without pausing. I ran to Killian’s closet where I knew he kept a small arsenal of weapons. It had been a while since I’d used a handgun, and my awkwardness with the one in the forest when Francesco tried to kidnap me proved it wasn’t my best weapon, so I grabbed a serrated knife. Not that I had much experience with that, either. I wished I’d had more lessons with Tommaso.Forgetting that I was only wearing a skimpy nightgown, I wrenched open the door—and nearly ran headfirst into Olivia, who had clearly run to find me.Her eyes were wide, and her voice shook when she gasped, “Cops. They’re trashing the place.”Run the house, Killian had said.Another rush of adrenaline shot through me, but I knew I had to keep my cool. More noises of destructi
Taken by the Mafia King Operation Interrupted
KillianWe stalked down the snowy slope like wolves creeping in on prey. Halfway down, my phone buzzed in my back pocket.Everyone skidded to a stop and Scott hissed, “The fuck did you bring your phone for?”I silenced it against my better judgment. “Just an update from the house,” I hissed back. “It’s fine.”I made it all of two more steps before it buzzed again. Who the hell would be calling me at four in the morning? It couldn’t be Reggie, could it? Nothing could be going on at this time.I silenced it again.Another few steps.It buzzed insistently.I felt the guys’ annoyance, even my own, spike the already sharp air. They were already on edge with this mission. They didn’t need a buzzing phone grating on their nerves.“Give me a second,” I snapped at their glares, pulling out my phone to look at the caller ID. It was Reggie. “Hello—”Scott scoffed and gave the motion to move. “Let’s just go.”My heart lurched. “No—”But even my guys took off after Scott, storming down the hill an
Taken by the Mafia King Resolve
SeraI walked through the halls feeling like I was exploring a ghost town.The Ricci Manor looked as if a tornado had gone through it, tearing up its insides but leaving the outsides untouched.If a tornado wore blue and black Kevlar.My rage and sadness at Briggs and his men led to dark thoughts. I could light a match, burn the whole thing down, and use a bulldozer to clear the whole mess. Over the years, the manor had been stained with blood, death, and all manners of vice and violence. If these walls could talk, they wouldn’t have a lot of nice things to say. Right now, the situation wasn’t much better than it had been during one of those shootouts with another mob family.Rooms were trashed, furniture shredded and broken, closets turned upside down, the kitchen full of broken glass, doors kicked in. It was all completely unnecessary. Those men just wanted to destroy anything they could get their hands on to prove they could.It was five in the morning by the time they left, having
Taken by the Mafia King Sorely Beat
TommasoWe were sorely beat.Sporting bruised skin and bruised egos, Killian took off back to the manor while Patrick and Alonzo joined Scott’s men in tracking Niccolò. Adrian and I rifled through the cabin for any damning clues to the Marinos’ shady businesses. Why had he been hiding out here really? Hiding from Killian, sure, but there had to be more to it.It was clear that he’d been staying here for a decent amount of time. There was a bed and a few sleeping bags—I snorted at the visual of a little mob sleepover—and a desk with a cabinet of drawers. They were stashed with all kinds of paperwork, but they were all in Italian. Shamefully, I wasn’t fluent in the language of my proud heritage.Neither was Adrian. He stuffed the paperwork in a satchel he’d brought along for just this purpose. “I’ll find a translator.”“How’s your head?” I asked, helping him clear out the comically large amount of papers. Surely, not all of it was imperative to whatever Niccolò was involved in. No one w
Taken by the Mafia King Like a Plum
KillianThe holdup was that my jet pilot, Gavin, was sound asleep in his hotel room, which I didn’t have a key for.After passing through the lobby without the graveyard shift front desk woman noticing how beat to shit I was, I showered quickly and returned with fresh clothes. She was skeptical but gave me an extra key to enter Gavin’s room. From there, I hauled him into the shower and hit him with freezing cold water to jolt him awake.Assuring me he was awake enough to fly, he dressed, and we hurried to the jet.I was a mess of nerves the entire flight back to Philly. Gavin wasn’t entirely awake. I didn’t have any bars to call Reggie’s phone back. Was Sera all right? Was she hurt? She didn’t sound hurt over the phone, just frantic. She said Briggs destroyed something. She had to mean the house.The bastard broke in, I realized with rage simmering in my veins. He broke into my home.To do what? Hurt my staff? Raid?Shit. What did Briggs steal from me?Gavin landed, and we drove to th
Taken by the Mafia King Failed Bribery
Sera“I want to redecorate.”Killian was looking at me like I’d suggested going skydiving without a parachute. “Then redecorate. Buy whatever you want. I’ll give you the company card—Ow!”I had pressed the icepack to his forehead a little too hard. I was overcome with relief at his return, but when he started to put violence before his health, I wasn’t going to let that fly.“Nope,” I said, letting up. “You’re coming with me. This is your house.”“And it hasn’t been redecorated in decades. You know furniture is the last thing on my mind.” Killian’s broad hands squeezed my hips. Suddenly, there was a weight to his face, his voice, and the very air around us. “I’m making you the lady of Ricci Manor, Serafina Bianchi. Our home was raided. You protected it the best you could, and I am proud of that. Now, I trust you to make it rise from the ruins.”I set the icepack on the table beside Killian and rested my forearms on his shoulders, feeling slightly bad when he winced in pain. I felt the
Taken by the Mafia King Shopping
SeraKillian slept for another six hours.During that time, Tommaso and the others had returned equally bruised, cut, and exhausted, but otherwise intact. The hallways were cleared and cleaned, and the staff shared lunch. Chief Edwards had called back with good news, he told me, but I told him to call again in the evening, when Killian was awake. I took a cat nap for an hour, watched two movies with Penny, found a puzzle in a closet and half completed it with Joyce, and helped Rosemary make two apple pies.I was picking an outfit for him when he finally stirred around three in the afternoon. Killian rolled onto his back and scrubbed his eyes with a groan.I perched on my side of the bed and smiled at him. “Morning, Sleeping Beauty. Little cold, there?”He glanced down to see that he’d kicked the covers to the end of the bed, leaving him completely exposed. Swearing, he yanked the blanket to his chin. “The fuck?”I threw my head back and howled with laughter, something I hadn’t done 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
