Seized Mafia Bride by Mae Doyle
Lorenzo
This address can’t be right. Glancing down at the scrap of paper where I have it written, I lean forward and look up at the building that towers over me. It’s a piece of shit, right down to the crappy parking lot and dead bushes along the front walk. There’s just no way that a woman like Mia lives here.
Then again, I wouldn’t have thought that a woman like her would work at the club. With a heavy sigh, I get out of my car, well aware that it’s the nicest one in a ten-block radius. I had to leave downtown to get here, pass by a filthy subway station, and keep driving through decrepit streets.
But I’m here and if she really lives here, I’m not leaving without her.
I’m inside the front door when I hear the scream. Freezing, my hand snaps to my gun and I pull it slowly and silently from its holster. The weight is comforting, like an old friend, and I move silently up the stairs to the sound.
I have to go quickly, but the last thing that I want is for someone to hear me coming. At each floor I stop and listen before moving on.
The sound of wood breaking from the floor above me spurs me on and I run, no longer worried about how much noise I’m making. Bursting out into the hall, I glance to the left, then to the right, where I see a door off its hinges, fallen half in an apartment and half out.
There’s the scream again and I’m close enough now to tell that it’s Mia. Running, I dart through the apartment door, swinging my gun up in front of my face as I do.
She’s in front of me, terror contorting her face, a man holding onto her arm. He leans over her and while I can’t see his face, I can tell from the expression on hers that what’s going on is not good.
“Stop!” I call, and the man whips around, adjusting his grip from Mia’s shoulder to her arm. He’s squeezing her so tightly that her skin around his fingertips is turning white. “Who the fuck are you? Let her go.”
“Not a chance, asshole,” the man sneers. He yanks Mia, obviously intending to scoot past us and out into the hall. “Mia’s my girlfriend and I was just helping her pack to move in with me.”
“Let go of her,” I say, stepping to the side so that he can’t get past me. “Now.”
He pauses but then shakes his head like he’s trying to convince himself of what needs to be done. “She’s mine. I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you’re not needed here. She and I are just fine.”
That’s it. I’m done trying to pretend like I give a shit about this asshole. Walking forward, I press my gun against his forehead. He swallows hard but still doesn’t let go of her arm.
“Now, asshole,” I grit out between my teeth. “I swear to God that I will paint the walls in here with your brains before I let you take another step with her.”
Almost immediately he lets go of her. Mia steps away from him, reaching up to rub her arm where he’d been gripping her. She has a large butcher knife in her hand and I see what the guy’s going to do a second before it happens.
He turns, lunging for her, his hands wrapping around the handle of the knife. Mia screams, trying to tug back on it like she’s going to be able to make him let go. I squeeze the trigger, the bullet finding its home right in the side of his temple, and he drops like an anvil.
Mia screams again, her eyes wide, her mouth falling open as she turns to look at me. She’d been terrified before, but this is on an entirely different level, and I watch as her arm swings up and she lunges for me.
The blade of the knife is ridiculously dull but it still catches me in the bicep. I suck in a breath as hot pain shoots through my body from the cut, then I grab Mia, pulling her to me and yanking the knife from her hand. It clatters on the floor where I throw it.
“What the hell are you doing?” I ask, my lips pressed up against her ear. “Why the fuck would you try to hurt me when I just saved your life?”
“Oh, my God, you killed him!” She rocks against me, trying to get me to free her, but her ass pressing up against my cock makes me think other things. “Why would you do that?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I say, turning her in my arms so that I can get a look at her. “You need to get your shit together, Mia, do you hear me! Stop this!”
She cries, her mouth open wide as she sobs and sucks in huge gulps of air. I know that the clock is ticking and I need to get her out of here before someone decides to call the police. Without really thinking about what I’m doing, I bend down, putting my shoulder into her stomach and standing up.
I’m taking her with me.
“What the fuck are you doing?” She comes to her senses enough to slam her fists down onto my back. Hard. Mia squirms on me, trying to rock free from my grip, but there’s no way in hell that I’m going to let her go.
“I’m getting you out of here so that you have a place to live and nobody thinks that you killed that prick. Now shut up or I’m going to have to make you shut up.”
She sucks in a breath and I’m ready to put her down and shove something into her mouth to keep her quiet, but instead of screaming, she swallows whatever sound she was going to make. “Don’t hurt me,” she whispers.
I’m halfway down the hall now. I could stop and tell her that everything will be okay and that I won’t hurt her, but I need to get her out of here. I need to make sure that she’s going to be safe.
We hit the outside door at a sprint and I run to my car, only putting her on her feet for long enough to open the passenger door. “Get in,” I tell her.
She eyeballs me, her cheeks splotchy from crying. “Please don’t hurt me,” she says, taking a step back from me. “I promise you, I won’t tell anyone that you shot him. I won’t speak to the cops. Please, I don’t want to die.”
“Come on,” I say, grabbing her by the waist and pushing her into the front seat. She bucks out at me and I lean forward, pinning her in place with my body. “Listen, Mia,” I say, speaking quietly so that nobody will hear me. “You need to cut this shit out so that I can get you someplace safe.”
“No.” She reaches out and plants her hands on my chest, shoving hard.
That’s it. There’s no way that I’m going to be able to drive safely with her panicking in the seat next to me. A growl escapes my lips as I grab my gun and bring the grip down on her temple. Her body crumples down in the seat immediately and I reach across her, buckling her in before slamming the door.
“Great. Just fucking great.” Starting the car, I wait until I’m on the interstate headed back home before calling Dane.
He picks up on the first ring. “Where the hell did you run off to? Fuck, you’d think that she had magic pussy or something, Lorenzo. We’re waiting on you.”
“You’re going to have to keep waiting,” I tell him, passing a jeep that’s going way too slow. “I’m headed home.”
He’s silent and I know that he’s well aware of what just happened but doesn’t want to say anything. Finally, he exhales hard and I can just picture him turning to the rest of the guys. Family understands family, and they’ll get what I just did more than anyone else.
“You just let us know what you need, okay? We’ve been there.”
I hang up without answering and glance over at Mia. Lights from cars in the other splash across her face. She’s gorgeous, her lips parted slightly as she breathes, her cheeks losing some of the splotchy coloring. Reaching over, I lightly caress her cheek. Her skin is warm under my fingertips and I let them linger there for a moment.
Right now, it doesn’t matter that I just killed a man to save her. Hell, I’d do it again in a heartbeat if it was what it took to make sure that she was going to be safe. To make sure that I could have her forever.
I knew from the moment I saw her that she’d be mine. I was willing to kill her for her, and I’m willing to do it again if that’s what it takes.
It doesn’t matter what I have to do to keep her. Mia belongs to me.
