Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2022 Lila Fox

  ISBN: 978-0-3695-0717-4

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Audrey Bobak

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  THE MAFIA QUEEN

  Maclean Mafia Men, 5

  Lila Fox

  Copyright © 2022

  Chapter One

  Aria pulled herself out of her bed and wrapped a robe around herself. Her husband of twenty-five years had just left after raping her. Most people in her world would call it her wife’s duty, but she just considered it rape. It was always painful, and she got no enjoyment from it at all, but he didn’t care as long as he got what he wanted.

  This time, he was extra brutal because he was pissed that he’d lost two daughters and couldn’t use them as offerings to a madman.

  However, he gave her some hope this time and told her she was too old to have children. Besides, she’d only given him daughters and was frigid. He didn’t want to waste his time on her anymore.

  Forty years old, she’d never known what it was like to have a man make love to her. Her father had given her to Lorenzo Moretti when she was sixteen. Women who grew up in the mafia world they lived in didn’t get many choices. They weren’t considered human, just a possession or commodity to buy and sell.

  Her only happiness came from her three beautiful daughters, Faith, Hope, and Angelica, and the only two friends she’d ever had, Trent and Mateo. They were two of her husband’s guards who hated how he treated her from the beginning. Those two men wanted to kill Lorenzo, but she’d stopped them because there would be repercussions—they would be killed and taken from her.

  If she lost them, she’d lose her mind. They were the only thing that kept her sane, even though they hadn’t ever been able to spend quality time together because if her husband knew, they’d all be dead.

  She thought about the weeks when two of her daughters had gotten free, and she was so pleased. Mateo had told her they were married to good men. Two of her precious daughters were safe, and the men treated them well as far as he knew. If she ever found out differently, all hell would break loose.

  Now, if she could only get Angelica away, she’d be able to do the thing she’d dreamed of for years. Kill her husband. Remove one monster off the earth and any future chance he’d have to hurt her babies. Because she knew it was a death sentence for her, she needed her babies taken care of.

  She shut the bathroom door behind her, closed her eyes, and rested her head against the wood.

  “Don’t even think about it.”

  Her eyes sprang open to find Trent in front of her with his arms crossed. He was a huge man who stood over a foot taller than her and outweighed her by a hundred pounds, but he had the gentlest, most beautiful blue eyes she’d ever seen.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Giving up,” he said. “I see it in your face.”

  As she sighed, she bowed her head.

  “Are you hurt?” Trent asked.

  She shook her head.

  “So, what with the attitude lately? You’re just going to what?”

  She didn’t consider her plan as giving up but finally found the courage to do something that needed to be done.

  “Do you want to tell us what this is for?”

  She spun to see Mateo in the doorway of the secret passageway they used to get to her. When she saw the knife in his hands, she recognized it as the one she’d taken from the kitchen to kill her husband and thought she had hidden it fairly well.

  She lunged for it. “Give me that.”

  He gently pulled her against his chest and pressed a kiss to the top of her head while holding the knife out of her reach.

  “Start talking, pet,” Trent said.

  Her shoulders dropped. How did she think she would get away with it? They knew her well, better than anyone in the world.

  “I took it.”

  Trent nodded. “We know that, baby. Now, tell us why.”

  She pulled out of Mateo’s arms, walked away from them both before tightening the belt on her robe, and then faced them. “I’m going to kill Lorenzo,” she said.

  Both men stiffened.

  “Oh, really. When do you plan on doing that?” Trent asked and raised one brow.

  She sighed. “After we got Angelica free.”

  “I see,” Mateo said. “You know you’d be killed, right?”

  She nodded without looking up at them.

  “Goddammit,” Trent cursed. “What about us? Don’t we matter?”

  Her head jerked up, and she stared at him. “Of course, you do. I’m doing this for you, too.”

  She could tell she was making them madder, but never once had she ever been afraid of them.

  “How do you figure that, pet?” Trent asked.

  “I feel like you’ve put your lives on hold for me for so long. I want you to be happy. Find a woman you love who can give you children.”

  A shiver raced down her spine when they both stared at her.

  “What about what we want?” Mateo asked.

  The gentle way he said it broke her heart. “I’m thinking of you. I’ll never be able to have your children. I’m too old. Hell, I might not even be able to have sex. I’m not good for you. I love you both too much to bind you to me for more years.”

  Trent walked to the secret passage and turned to look at her. “It would be nice to decide for ourselves what we want. You’re doing to us what your father did to you. Think about that.”

  She cried out. “Trent.”

  She heard his steps and then nothing. She faced Mateo. “You understand, don’t you?”

  “Not at all, baby. We want you in any way we can get you, and now that we might have a chance at being together and happy, you’d take that away from us.”

  “The only things changing are my daughters getting out of this hellhole.”

  Mateo shook his head. “No, there’s more going on. We have people helping us.”

  “What? Who?” Her stomach tightened with anxiety but also a spark of hope for a future she’d not had before.

  “We don’t have time now. Please don’t give up on us.”

  “I’d never do that. I want to do everything in my power to make you both happy. You’ve done so much for me. There were times I wanted to give up, and if it weren’t for you and my daughters, I’m ashamed to say I would have taken my life.”

  Mateo slipped the knife into his belt and walked to her. He cupped her face and ran his thumb over her cheek. “What you’re missing here is that you make us happy, and it would break us if you were taken from us.”

  She whimpered and laid her forehead on his chest. “I’m so sorry. I love you both so much.”

  “And we love you.”

  “What if I can’t—”

  “Can’t what, baby?” he asked.

  “Can’t have sex. You know I’ve never been treated well in the bedroom.”

  He tilted her head up so she looked into his face. “You will be. You’re a passionate woman and have never been given a chance to explore that. I guarantee it will take both of us to keep up with you.”

  His lopsided grin always charmed her.

  “It’s just…”

  He bent his head until his lips were close to hers. He studied her for a moment before pressing them against hers.

  The heat of passion raced through her. Before she knew it, she was clinging to him. He ravished her mouth and she begged for more. Where her body had ached just a moment before because of her husband, Mateo brought it to life and made her feel things she never had.

  They’d kissed her over the years, but they were more like brotherly kisses than sexual ones. Mateo showed her a different kind of pleasure, which made her hotter than she ever thought she could be.

  “Do you see?” he asked after he raised his head.

  Her eyes slowly opened, and it took a moment to focus. She loved how he groaned when her tongue came out to taste him on her lips.

  “We’re not going to have any problem, baby. We’ve saved enough money to take care of you for the rest of our lives. We can go wherever you want to live.”

  “I’d want to stay close to my daughters,” she said.

  Mateo tipped his head forward. “We can do that.”

  “Okay.” She hugged him tightly. “You should go.”

  “I will. Take a bath and get into bed. Tomorrow will be a new day.”

  Aria nodded. “Will you tell Trent that I’m sorry?”

  “You can tell him the next time you see him,” Mateo said, leaving through the hidden door in the linen closet’s back panel.

  She bathed and got into bed. Just as she started to drift to sleep, a warm body pressed against her back, and an arm went around her waist. She wasn’t alarmed because she knew Trent’s scent like her own.

  “Hello, pet,” Trent said.

  She rolled to her back and pressed her hand to his face. “I’m sorry.”

  He pressed a kiss into the palm of her hand. “I know. I’m sorry I got mad. It just terrifies me at the thought of you not on earth. I would just want to lie down and die because I couldn’t go on.”

  Tears ran down her face. “No, don’t ever say that. I can’t even comprehend what the world would be like without you.”

  “Then don’t take any chance. Let us take care of you. You’ll be free soon. I promise.”

  Her heartbeat accelerated at the thought of being with them and not having to hide it. “I can’t wait.”

  “Me, either. Now I want a kiss. Mateo said you gave him one, so it’s only fair.”

  She nodded and grinned. “Oh, yes, please.”

  He bent down, wrapped an arm around her waist, and took her lips. It started off small and gentle but soon turned to molten fire. She couldn’t prevent the moans coming from her or the way she pressed her body against his.

  Trent yanked his head up. “Jesus, Mateo was right. You’re going to burn us up.”

  “Is that a good thing?” she asked.

  “Oh, yeah, it’s very good. Now, I’ve got to go, but I’ll see you soon. I love you.”

  “I love you, too,” she said.

  He pressed one more kiss to her lips and rolled away.

  She wanted to call him back so badly, but they were already taking a lot of chances that could get them all killed, and that was the last thing she wanted.

  Chapter Two

  Aria had no idea what time it was when she was shaken awake.

  “Aria, come on, baby. We have to get you out of here,” Mateo said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, we’re getting you out of here. The shit is about ready to hit the fan, so we need to get you and Angelica to safety.”

  She was still groggy and didn’t understand everything he said, but she followed his directions because she trusted him implicitly.

  He pulled the sheets back and lifted her out of bed. “Let’s pack a quick bag.”

  She stared up at him and pushed the hair from her face. “Um, wait, I already have one. I update it every so often, but I’ve had it for years. Just on the off chance we could escape.”

  “Good girl.” He grabbed it from the back of her closet. “Let’s get you into some clothes.”

  She shed her nightgown, not the least bit shy because Mateo and Trent had seen her naked on many occasions when they had to bathe her after Lorenzo beat her or was too violent with her during sex.

  Aria always detested them seeing her like that, but she wouldn’t have been able to do it herself most of the time. What she hated the most was the fury the men always showed that she’d have to calm to prevent them from killing Lorenzo.

  She pulled on some old jeans, a t-shirt, and tennis shoes. It was something she’d never been seen in but had always wanted to be able to wear.

  “Fuck, baby. I think you can’t get any sexier, and you pull this shit.”

  She giggled.

  “I want to know how you got these clothes, but later,” he said and grabbed her hand. “We need to leave.”

  “Does Trent have Angelica?” she asked.

  “Yes. They’re probably already in the car.”

  They went down the back passage and out to two large waiting SUVs. He lifted her into one, and she cried out when she saw her daughter. She pulled her into her arms. “Oh, baby girl. How are you?”

  The young woman hugged her tightly. “I’m good. How about you, Mama?”

  “I’m fine, sweetheart.”

  “I worry about you all the time,” Angelica said.

  Aria straightened and cupped her daughter’s cheek. “There’s no reason to, honey.” If she knew her daughters had been aware of her abuse, that would break her heart. She didn’t want them warped, to think it was okay to be treated like she was. She wanted them to acquire all the happiness they could get.

  “Mama, we know how you’re treated.”

  She flinched. Oh, God, no. “Who told you?”

  “No one. We’ve heard people talk about it over the years, and we would hear you cry when we passed your room. There’s always a guard with us, or we would have broken in and killed the bastard.”

  “Oh, Angelica, no.”

  “We hate him, Mama.”

  Aria pulled her tightly against her and kissed the top of her head. She couldn’t think of anything to say as she made eye contact with Trent and Mateo, who sat in the front seat. Mateo turned around from the front passenger seat, and Trent looked at them in the rearview mirror. She knew they hurt for her, and she hated the pain she saw in their eyes.

  It was the middle of the night, so very few cars were about. Her head swiveled right and left, trying to take in everything. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been able to leave her house. She caught the keen interest in her baby’s eyes and wanted to kill her husband even more.

  The light flickered into the car when they passed under a streetlamp as they drove through the streets. They crossed the town and pulled into the basement of an expensive hotel. Then Aria and Angelica were instantly surrounded by a dozen men and herded into the employee elevator.

  Trent had a hand on her upper arm as he led her into a suite.

  Oh, my. The room was beautiful. Everything was different shades of white and gray. There was a comfortable seating arrangement in the middle of the main room with a large TV and a bar off to the side. She noticed her reflection in the far wall made of all glass.

  Four different rooms led off from the main one. “This has four bedrooms?” she asked. She wondered if they planned to have separate rooms.

  Mateo nodded. “Yes. Angelica will have one, and the three of us in another, and the men will take turns sleeping in the other two while they aren’t working.”

  She exhaled and nodded. Her daughter went to the huge windows and looked out onto a vista of stars and night lights in the street. It looked almost magical.

  “Isn’t that pretty, Mama?” Angelica asked as she hugged her mother to her side.

  “It is, sweetheart.”

  “Ladies, do you think you can go back to sleep?” Trent asked.

  Angelica nodded.

  Trent held out a hand to Angelica. “Come here, honey, and I’ll get you settled in one of the rooms.”

  Aria hugged her daughter. “Get some rest, sweetheart.”

  “I will. I hope you do, too.”

  She nodded and smiled. She was tired but too hyped up to rest at the moment.

  Could this be it? Could they really be free? It was almost too much to think about, and she didn’t want to get her hopes up.

  A short time later, a large body came up behind her and wrapped arms around her as she stood looking out the window. She jerked and looked at the other guards in the room.

  “Should we do this?” she asked.

  Trent nodded and kissed the side of her head. “Yes, honey. These men are loyal to you and not Lorenzo.”

  Her eyes widened and burned with tears she kept from falling. “Really?”

  “Yes. Over the years, we’ve hired people who were against Lorenzo and pledged their loyalty to you, Mateo, and me.”

  She relaxed back against him. “I love you so much.”

  He kissed her neck, making a shiver race up her spine. “I love you, too, pet.”

  They stood quietly and stared out the window.

  “Can you tell me what’s going on?” she asked.

  “If the plan goes well, you’ll never have to see Lorenzo again as long as you live.”

  She twirled to face him. “Seriously?” It would be a dream come true if he died.

  “Yes.”

  “How?”

  “I don’t know all the specifics. I just know the Macleans are taking care of him and Rizzo.”

  “Oh, my God. We’ll owe them for the rest of our lives. When will we find out anything?” she asked.

  “We won’t get any news for a while, pet,” he said.

  “Have you heard anything about my other girls?” she asked.

  “Just that they are doing well and are heavily protected.”

  “Good.”

  “How about we go lie down? I’m anxious to be able to hold you in my arms and not have to worry about being caught.”

 

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