Mafia Love (The Accidental Mafia Queen Book 3) Read online

  Mafia Love

  The Accidental Mafia Queen Book 3

  Khardine Gray

  Contents

  MAFIA LOVE

  Mafia Quote

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  Also by Khardine Gray

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2019 by Khardine Gray

  Mafia Love Copyright © 2019 by Khardine Gray

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design © 2019 by Cover by Combs

  Photography- Eric Battershell Photography

  Cover Model - Johnny Kane

  Editing : Julia Goda : Diamond In the Rough Editing

  This work is copyrighted. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  The author asserts that all characters and situations depicted in this work of fiction are entirely imaginary and bear no relation to any real person.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  The following story contains mature themes, strong language and sexual situations.

  It is intended for mature readers. All characters are 18+ years of age and all sexual acts are consensual.

  MAFIA LOVE

  USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

  Khardine Gray

  Mafia Quote

  “ Friendship is everything. Friendship is more than talent. It is more than the government. It is almost the equal of family.” – The Godfather

  Chapter 1

  Amelia

  Arabesque, pirouette, pirouette, glissade and a hop. That was it.

  Then on my toes, arms out, head up and four skips into a leap.

  That leap… Wow, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirrors as I flew through the air and landed on the tips of my toes. I hardly looked any different to what I was years ago. I didn’t look any different to who I used to be.

  “Dance, Amelia,” Dad called with laughter and pride in his voice.

  And that was the moment I let go and truly unlocked myself.

  The music took me, and I just went with it.

  Jumping and spinning, flowing as if I weighed nothing, flying through the air.

  When the music stopped, several people were clapping and I almost believed I was back at the performance for real.

  My hand flew up to my cheeks when I saw both Luc and Millicent standing by the door.

  Luc.

  I moved to run to him, to throw myself into his arms and savor the euphoria that rippled through me at having been able to dance again.

  But I stopped and turned to my father, who was beaming at me with a smile full of love and adoration.

  I rushed up to him instead and hugged him.

  “Thank you,” he whispered into my ear.

  “No, thank you.”

  He smiled down at me, then glanced at Luc, inclining his head toward him. “Go, go be with your guy. Have some normal if only for a few hours more.”

  Normal.

  Yes. I turned to go to Luc and skipped into his arms, giving Millicent a bright smile as I approached.

  Alarms sounded just before I reached Luc, stopping me in my tracks.

  What was that?

  “Someone’s in the house,” Dad called out.

  “You said the security was turned off.” I winced turning back to him.

  “It is. This is a homemade trip wire I placed in the library.”

  “What’s in the library?” Luc asked.

  I looked back to him. “The safe.” My heart squeezed.

  “What’s in the safe, Amelia?”

  I looked to Dad before confirming that, and he nodded. “The key to the diamonds.” We’d put it there yesterday.

  “Fuck. Stay here.”

  Dad was already moving past us. Luc rested a hand on him to hold him back.

  “Stay, Raphael.”

  “This is my home. How dare they come in here,” Dad snarled.

  “Mr. Rossi, please,” Millicent offered. “Please stay, you… aren’t well.”

  Beads of sweat formed on her upper lip. Strange because it wasn’t exactly hot in here. Must be the anxiety. I felt that too.

  I moved past Luc and Dad.

  “Amelia, you stay here with your father and Millicent.”

  “No, I won’t stay. We go together.”

  “Remember what happened when you—”

  I didn’t allow him to finish. I moved on ahead of him through the door. He followed me and took hold of my arm to pull me back.

  “Jesus, Amelia, don’t you understand I’m trying to keep you safe?”

  “Yes. I do. I understand, but you know I’m not useless. I want to see who this person is.”

  “Stay beside me and don’t break away. Stay with me.”

  “I will,” I assured him.

  From his back pocket he whipped out a gun and handed it to me. He then took out his gun from his side pocket and held it up ready to fire.

  Like I’d promised, I stayed beside him, and we proceeded up the steps and on to the second floor, where the library was situated.

  Who could it be?

  Who was it?

  And… how did they know to go to the library?

  How the fuck would they have known that? It was just Dad and me talking that day in the garden. There’d been no one else.

  No one saw me when I went to the library. I’d made sure of it.

  I heard shuffling in there as we approached and books being thrown around.

  “How the fuck hard can it be to find a safe?” came a voice I recognized well.

  It couldn’t be.

  Luc and I walked into the library and saw not only Jefferson but Holloway inside.

  They stopped throwing the books from the shelf and turned to meet our gazes.

  “Well, well, well. I see we just discovered who the rats are,” Luc mused, pointing his gun at them. “Not one but two of them. Vermin. Fucking vermin.”

  My mouth and throat were dry.

  Shock flew through me. Shock and surprise, tangled with betrayal. More betrayal. I would never have guessed it was them.

  It was fine for Luc; he didn’t know them like I did. I thought they were my friends.

  But then I guess I was kidding myself.

  I didn’t know them at all.

  Jefferson and Holloway. My God.

  They were my enemies.

  I swallowed hard, but I couldn’t get past the lump in my throat.

  I just couldn’t believ
e what I was seeing before me, but really, why should I be so surprised?

  Luc didn’t appear shocked at all. He’d known it was them. Surely, he must have known it was one of them.

  But both?

  Jefferson and Holloway came as a duo. They’d been friends as far back as I could remember and did everything together. They were the kind of friends who followed each other for good or bad. So, if one was a rat, the other was tainted too.

  Didn’t make it any easier though. It didn’t. They were my friends. Guys I would have trusted with my life.

  “Why… why?” The words fell from my lips straight from the wound of betrayal. I shook my head at them.

  Jefferson had the audacity to smile at me. He had the audacity to look at me and smile, like this was nothing. It made me feel like throwing up.

  “Nothing personal, Taylor, or should I say Rossi?” He smirked.

  Holloway stood in that casual manner he usually exuded. They hadn’t pulled their guns yet. Why?

  “Nothing personal? Really? We were friends. Sinclaire could have died.” When I thought of all that had happened, my soul ached, and I had to fight to keep from crumbling inside. I had to fight my emotions that tore at me the more it sunk in that they were involved.

  “Sinclaire is a fool in love with you.” Holloway laughed.

  Out the corner of my eye I noticed how Luc tensed at the mention of that. Looked like everyone could see how deeply Sinclaire cared for me long before I did.

  “So, he deserved to die?”

  “He was in the way.”

  Luc raised his gun higher. “Cut the shit. How’d you get in the house? How’d you know to come in here?”

  That was the important stuff, but I had so many questions I wanted to ask.

  “Instructions from our boss,” Jefferson answered.

  “What boss?” I had to ask. I had to know how this whole thing unraveled and led to me. It was vague in my mind, and maybe I didn’t need specifics, but I sure as fuck wanted to know how these people got to my friends and what price they put on my head to lure them to the dark side.

  “Typical Amelia Taylor. She wants to know why.”

  “Tell her,” Luc cut in, his voice taking on an edge I’d never heard.

  Jefferson laughed. “Sure thing. Months ago, we were approached with an offer. We both got a phone call each. No name, just a muffled voice. The guy offered us ten grand each if we could give him access to our staff database. Of course, we did it, and they fixated on you. After that, we were offered a million each to work with them. An irrefusable offer. It took a while, but from some old hospital records they had on you, they were able to get access to your DNA files, but it was inconclusive. Inconclusive with a trail, though, because they noticed a glitch in your listing on the system. It was a dead giveaway that something had been changed. That was actually what highlighted you. This guy has friends in high places, but looks like Don Raphael has the same kinds of friends, too, because they couldn’t match out your identity. They tried to take you several times. It was actually me who suggested they do it the old-fashioned straightforward way and take your hairbrush and lipstick. That was all they needed to confirm their theory of you being the secret daughter of the head of the Chicago mafia. We were shocked to shit when we found out.”

  So, that was it.

  “Good, story over.” Luc spoke the minute Jefferson finished and without warning fired a shot straight into his arm.

  Holloway sprang into action, whipping out his gun, taken by surprise. Luc shoved me out of the way as Jefferson went after me.

  When shots were fired, I dove behind the desk, but Holloway came after me. I never expected him to. He just went for me.

  “Can’t get the key, so I’ll grab the next prize,” he taunted.

  I jumped out of the way when he tried to grab me and sent a kick straight to his chest. He stumbled, stunned by my sudden motion, but regained his balance.

  Holloway had that built that made you easily mistake him for being less tough, but he had muscle and speed. His thin presence was more athletic than on the lanky side, which gave him the advantage. Being used to him, I knew that.

  I straightened, raised my gun, but damn, he sent a punch to my hand and knocked it out. Shit, I needed to focus because he could take me down now if he wanted to. He was taller than me and stronger. He also knew me too. We’d been on so many raids and other encounters where we’d had to fight.

  Luc and Jefferson were on the floor now. Fists were flying. Luc looked like he was winning, but I couldn’t focus on him. Holloway dove for me again. This time he got me. He grabbed me and squeezed my ribs hard to the point where I thought I’d pass out. I tried to knee him in his crotch, but I couldn’t. I kicked out at him, but without my arms I was powerless. I even tried to head butt him, but that didn’t work on a guy like him. He laughed at me, and fuck… I saw two guys coming in by the long French windows leading out to the balcony. Holloway was moving with me toward them.

  He didn’t get far though, and neither did they.

  Three shots sounded, rippling through the air one after the other.

  Bang, bang… bang.

  That was all I heard. The two guys dropped dead before me, the bullets going straight to their heads, and the grip Holloway had around my arms loosened.

  “Holloway.” I winced as he released me completely.

  I snapped around to see his eyes roll back in his head before he fell. The bullet got him in his neck.

  My eyes raised to meet Dad’s, and I observed the vicious expression he had on his face and the strength he exuded with his two guns held out in front of him. He looked like a mobster, and not just any old mobster either. He looked like he would kill you with one look.

  Another shot sounded.

  It came from Luc. He shot Jefferson straight in his head.

  Something … something strange happened in my heart as the seconds passed and it sunk in. Reality sunk in. The reality of what had just taken place.

  Jefferson and Holloway. My friends, now dead, again because of me. These people after my father lured them over to darkness, relying on their greed, and now they were no more.

  Jefferson and Holloway. I’d known them for the same length of time I knew Max and Sinclaire. So much had happened in so little time.

  Unlike the normal energy I’d feel when we defeated the bad guys, I felt sick. I looked back to Dad, and he lowered his guns, two Berettas.

  “Amelia.” He took a step toward me but stopped. A stream of blood ran down the line from his nose to the top of his lip, and he dropped the guns as he collapsed.

  “Dad!” I rushed up to him. Luc joined us in panic.

  “Boss, shit!” Luc lifted his head, but Dad looked so lifeless.

  Tears ran down my cheeks at his lifeless form. “Dad, wake up.”

  I couldn’t lose him too, not now. Not now.

  One breath escaped his lips, and more blood poured from his nose. I pressed my hand to his neck searching for a pulse, but I couldn’t feel one.

  Chapter 2

  Amelia

  I sat next to Dad’s bed, watching him.

  He was sleeping now. The doctors had come to the house and said he’d overexerted himself, but really, what had happened was to be expected for someone in his condition.

  He was fading fast. He put on a front, a very harsh exterior, and sometimes didn’t look as sick as he was. He looked frail and not like the father I’d known ten years ago but still strong.

  Even now as he lay in bed.

  He’d come to for a few minutes earlier, and I wanted to see him awake properly before I moved from his side. I couldn’t bear it if I left him and he left me forever.

  I didn’t even get involved in the clearing away of those who’d died in our library. Jefferson and Holloway.

  I tried not to think about them either. It made me sick that it was them. Better if it had been Roose who’d turned on me because I wasn’t close to him. Not that I wished Roose dead.
Never that. But I was having a hard time dealing with the truth.

  Dad shuffled, moving his head, drawing my attention back to him.

  His eyes fluttered open, and he looked at me. I grabbed a bottle of water and placed a straw in it, so he could sip and stay in the same position.

  “Dad,” I breathed.

  There was a rasp in my voice, probably from not talking for hours. I hadn’t seen Luc in about two hours. Not since the doctor left.

  I held the water for Dad to sip. He took a small sip and a deep breath after, then reached for my hand.

  “You look just like her when we first met,” he told me, trying to smile but failing.

  He was talking about Mom.

  “People said I look more like you.” I was trying for lighthearted but failing.

  “When you were little, amore mio. Bella Amelia, my little girl.”

  I wish he wouldn’t talk that way because it felt so reflective and final.

  I pressed down hard on my lips to keep from crying, but it wasn’t working.

  How I hated to cry. I hated it because for me it was always about sadness. I’d never cried tears of joy. I’d never experienced that emotion people talk about when you are so overwhelmed with joy it makes you cry.

  “Dad, please, you have to rest. You should have stayed away and not get involved. Luc and I could have handled those guys.”

  He gave my hand a gentle squeeze and arched his lip. “Luc, just Luc, not you. This is not you, and when a man sees his child in danger, he’s not going to stand by and watch like a schmuck.”

  “Dad you’re… sick.”