Mafia love

“I wished I’d known you when I was last here.” Her voice broke into my thoughts.

I chuckled at that. “Amelia, in case you didn’t notice, I’m five years older than you. Your father would have killed me himself if he’d caught me sniffing around you. You were seventeen.”

“So?”

“I would have been twenty-two and asking for my ass to end up dead or in prison.”

“Would that stop you?” A sexy smile filled her face because she knew my answer.

“No.”

“We could have seen each other in secret. I was a few weeks away from my eighteenth birthday when I left.”

She was a few weeks away from her birthday again.

“I would have been your first. I would have made love to you for your birthday.”

“I wish,” she breathed.

She held my gaze, and we both seemed to know that while this talk was nice, we’d have to get up and break out of this bubble of passion we’d created.

“Amelia…” I smoothed my hands under her chin.

“I know… you have to go… or something. I don’t know what’s going on, but I can see in your eyes that you’re leaving.”

“Claudius will stay here with his men.”

“Why can’t you stay?” She frowned and a grimace pulled at the corners of her delicate mouth.

“I need to search. I need to do something. I know how Victor works, and I have a few hunches about where I may find intel on him. Claudius will take care of you. You and Raphael.”

“I want you.” She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again.

“I can’t stay here and let what happened yesterday happen again. I can’t.” My stomach tensed.

“What if something bad happens to you?” Pain darkened her eyes and she tucked her hair behind her ear.

I rubbed my temples and thought of how I could choose my next words carefully. Something bad could most assuredly happen to me, and there was the other reason why I thought Claudius was the better person to stay with her.

She sat up and quickly pulled the sheet to her chest, shoulders tensed and mouth rigid. “That’s why…”

No way could she have sensed my fears.

I sat up too. “Why what?”

“You think something bad could happen to you, so that’s why you want Claudius to take care of me.” There was a rise in her tone as she spoke and she gave me an incredulous stare.

Fuck, seems like she was right there inside my head. “Amelia, you don’t know Victor like I do. If he comes here with God knows who to take you, Claudius is the only person I know who can stop that from happening.”

“It’s like you’re just giving up.” Now her stare became distant – empty

– and her chin trembled.

“I’m not. I just can’t allow anything bad to happen to you. Not like Henry.”

The minute I said Henry’s name, she stopped mid-breath of her next words. Henry had been my best friend. Him and Maurice, we were it.

Claudius was always there for me, and he was a brother in every sense. But those guys were like family too. Victor took Henry, his wife, their kids; Jack and my sweet goddaughter, Susa

Fucked with my emotions. I’d thought I’d saved those kids, but I’d watched them draw their last breath as the poison Victor had fed them robbed them of life.

I would never forget it as long as I lived. I only dealt with it because I thought I’d exacted vengeance when I was of the mistaken belief that I’d killed Victor.

But the fucker came right back from the dead. That was five years ago.

As to where that bastard had been all this time, I didn’t know. He’d just

emerged when this war began. That again signaled the kind of power Tag had.

I didn’t want to admit this, but it was above me. And I was tainted because I was thinking with my heart.

“Luc.” She winced.

“No, don’t argue with me, Amelia. I’m leaving, and you’re staying here, where capable people can take care of you.”

I didn’t want to spoil what we had last night and all that we’d shared.

“I’m not helpless. I’m not this helpless person you make me out to be.”

I slid off the bed and reached for my pants and boxers. “Amelia, these aren’t the guys you’re used to in LA These people aren’t like Jefferson or Holloway. You aren’t helpless, but this is above you.”

That was it all I had left to say. She frowned at me in a huff, but she would have to be upset with me because this was the best way.

Better for us both.

CHAPTER 5

Amelia

I wanted to be furious. I wanted to feel angry at Luc for his decision, but in my heart, I knew he was doing what he thought was best for me.

He was making some sort of sacrifice that he felt would benefit me in some way. It didn’t help, though, that the man I loved had basically left me in what he deemed to be capable hands and thrown himself out to the lions to hunt the people who were hunting us.

He’d left about two hours ago. I went to check on Dad first and found he was still asleep. Then I went downstairs to get the shock of my life when I saw who was waiting for me. It felt like I’d just walked onto the set of something like The Terminator.

Claudius and four guys who looked just as hard and vicious as him practically guarded the premises.

Two at the front entrance, two at the back, and I was told the other entrances were sealed off. The guys all had crosses tattooed on their cheeks or their necks. Claudius had a cross on his cheek. It seemed to mean something now that I saw them all together. More than just a cool tattoo.

I knew they were all here to protect me, but damn, it reminded me of before. Just like I had been reminded last night. Strange men in the house.

Tough guys, but these guys looked tougher. Like ex- military with the huge muscles and badass attitude.

The butler, whose name I couldn’t remember, was questioned before entry, and the tallest guy was now questioning Millicent.

She looked petrified, and her dainty features looked smaller against the guy.

They were standing at the front door entrance.

“How long will you be on the premises?” The guy asked her. His tone was rough. It added to the hardness in his composure.

“I pla

“Give me your bag and spread your arms out,” the guy ordered.

That was where I needed to step in.

“Hey, give her a break.” I walked up to them and squared my shoulders off with him.

I must have looked comical because I was just a little taller than Millicent.

The guy laughed and regarded me with observant eyes. “Mrs. Boss, this is how things have to be.”

“She doesn’t need to spread her arms and be treated like some criminal.

I know her.”

“Right, word has it that you knew the other two guys from yesterday too. Word also has it that they wouldn’t hesitate to kill you.” He smirked, and the dimple in his left cheek softened his harshness and focused the attention on his sculpted looks.

“That was different, Mr…?”

“The names Dante, and no, Mrs. Boss, it wasn’t different.” The trace of amusement left his eyes. “If you want her in the house, she needs to do as I say. Now.”