BOW DOWN: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (Barone Crime Family) (17 page)

I
could feel
the cold steel of the rifle shoved up against my back as they marched me up the long driveway in the hot sun. For the hundredth time since Ethan dropped me off, I wondered what the fuck I was thinking marching right up to Arturo’s compound and demanding to see him.

I was on his fucking hit list. He wanted me dead, end of story. I was banking on the fact that he’d want to talk to me before ending my life, but maybe I was wrong. Maybe he was going to march me out back and put a bullet in my head, no questions asked, no second thoughts.

The guards walked me up the drive and into the mansion. We continued down the familiar path toward Arturo’s study and for a second, I wondered if I could still get the fuck out of there and maybe save my own damn life.

But that option was long gone, and it wasn’t one I seriously would take. I was committed to this path, and I was going to see it through no matter what happened. Louisa understood that, and she was relying on me. I wasn’t going to let her down again, even if the last time hadn’t been my fault.

I wasn’t going to fail.

My heart was thumping fast in my chest as I walked down the hall, the guards and their guns close on my heels. Another guard was leading the way, and I caught a few awkward glances from the people we passed. I briefly wondered what the staff thought about me getting paraded along with guns at my back, but that didn’t matter. They were paid very well for their silence, I was sure, and they’d probably seen worse.

This was perhaps the most important meeting of my life. I could walk out of there triumphant and alive, or I’d walk out of there a condemned man. I didn’t know which way it was going to go, and guessed that it was probably fifty-fifty. I oversold my plan to Louisa, mostly because I wanted her to agree to it.

I believed I could pull this off. That was the important thing. I believe that if I got in there and spoke with Arturo, I could convince him that I wanted to sell out Louisa and get back on his good side. I believed I could do it.

We finally reached his office doors. One of the guards opened it. Inside, Arturo was sitting at his desk and he didn’t look up as I entered.

“You may leave,” he said to the guards. They nodded, shut the door, and left.

I was alone with the man that wanted me dead. I glanced around his office and sure enough, there was nobody else.

Finally, he looked up from what he was writing. “Sit,” he said, gesturing at the chairs in front of his desk.

I sat down. “Thanks for taking this meeting.”

“You didn’t give me much choice, showing up at my door like that. I should have had you killed.”

“You tried that once.”

“Yes. I did.” He stared at me. “Does it disturb you to hear me admit that?”

“No,” I said. “It only confirms what I already knew.”

“Good. I tried to kill you because you’re a traitorous piece of shit. You deserve to die.”

I nodded. “Maybe.”

“Not maybe. You betrayed me, sold me out. After everything I did for you. I liked you, Wyatt. I saw promise in you. Now, you’re just another body walking around that I’ll have to kill sooner rather than later.”

“I was hoping to discuss just that.”

“There’s nothing to discuss. I only took this meeting because I liked you.”

“How did you find me out?” I asked him.

He smiled. I knew he couldn’t resist telling me his master plan.

“We’d been having intelligence issues lately, leaks and such. I began to plant false stories all over the place, wondering who it was. I caught a few people, actually, including you.”

That surprised me. “So it was just a wide net, and I got unlucky?”

“Pretty much. I never suspected you.”

I clenched my jaw. Dumb fucking luck destroyed me and ruined my original plan. I hated dumb fucking luck more than anything else in this world. I was about control and I couldn’t control the random movements of shit around me no matter how much I planned.

“Damn,” I said.

He smiled, leaning back in his chair. I could tell that he was enjoying this more than he wanted to admit, that sick bastard. In his mind, he was going to kill me as soon as this meeting was over. He just enjoyed toying with me.

That was what I was counting on. His ego was big enough to encompass the globe.

“So Wyatt, did you come here to beg for your life?” he asked.

“No,” I said.

“You didn’t? Seems like a stupid move, then, coming here.”

“I came to bargain for my life.”

“Ah,” he said. “I see. What could you possibly have that would allow me to let you live.”

“I’ll give you your daughter.”

That made him pause. “Why? I thought you were her ally.”

“I was. But when you sprang that trap, she turned her back on me. That’s why I was running from the city.”

“Threw you under the bus.” Arturo chuckled. “She thought you were a traitor.”

“She did.”

“I can see why she’d think that.”

“They never trusted me. I was always an outsider.”

“So you blame her, then, for this situation. You think she should have protected you.”

“Or at least offered me a safe house to stay hidden until this was all over.”

“Instead, she kicked you out and left you to fend for yourself.”

I nodded, trying to act angry, although I didn’t have to try too hard. The memory of that night came back to me, and it was all Louisa’s fault in the end.

“I was almost killed because of her, and now I’m done with all of you.”

“What are your terms?”

“Let me live. I’ll leave Illinois and never return. In exchange, I’ll give you Louisa.”

“How will you give her to me?” he asked.

“I’ll set up a meeting between the two of you.”

“Doesn’t she think you’re a traitor?”

“She does. That’s exactly why she’ll come.”

He paused, frowning. “Why couldn’t I set this meeting up myself?”

“She wouldn’t show. But she’ll listen if it’s coming from me.”

“Why?”

“Because we had . . . relations,” I said. “We grew close, until she believed I betrayed her. Now I really will betray the bitch and be done with all of this.”

“Interesting,” he said. “You think my daughter will listen because of your relationship with her.”

“She’ll come. And when she does, you can kill her. Without Louisa, the Spiders are nothing.”

“You think I’d kill my own daughter?”

I grinned a wicked grin, playing into this little charade. “Yes. I think you will. I think you’ll do whatever it takes to get control of the city back, because you’re losing, Arturo. You’re losing slowly but surely, and you know it.”

He stared at me without speaking for a few minutes. It was uncomfortable, but I didn’t back down. I knew that he was measuring me, trying to get a sense for whether I was lying or not.

I was only partially lying. Most of what I said was true, but my motives for getting him to that meeting were the lie. I didn’t want to give Louisa to him; I wanted to give him to Louisa.

“You’re playing a game here,” he said slowly. “I know that you are, but I can’t figure out exactly what it is. You have no reason to back Louisa. She nearly got you killed. And yet I don’t think you’re being truthful with me, or at least not entirely.” He sighed, pushing back and standing up. He turned his back to me. “This war has drained me, Wyatt. I used to be a young man, full of blood lust and excitement. The idea of war would have gotten me hard back then, and I would have gone through my days looking forward to the death and the destruction.

“Now, I’m not young anymore. I’ve slowed down considerably. I no longer want war. I want peace and prosperity for my people and for this city. I don’t want to hurt my daughter, but I see that I have no other choice. Louisa is my daughter, and she will never back down, not ever.”

He turned around and looked at me, and his eyes were sad. I was surprised, but there was a depth of feeling there that I never imagined Arturo Barone was even capable of.

The man was genuinely mourning the loss of his daughter. I was actually amazed.

“Set the meeting,” he said finally. “I will come, and I hope she does too. We will finish this. Peacefully, I hope, but violently if we must. I don’t want to hurt my own daughter, and so I hope she will listen to reason.”

“Good,” I said, nodding. I stood up.

“As for you, I will grant your request. But only if this meeting goes well. Otherwise, I will hunt you down and kill you.”

“I would expect nothing less.”

“Good. Now go, get out of here.” He turned back away from me, facing the wall, and for a second I thought I saw a tear in his eyes.

I stood up quickly, confusion moving through my body. I left the room, and the guards escorted me back to the gate.

This time, I couldn’t think about the men and their guns. I could only think about Arturo Barone’s emotional expression as he spoke about killing his own daughter. I never would have imagined that he was even able to feel sadness, but apparently I was wrong.

Arturo was a monster, but apparently he was still at least somewhat human.

None of that mattered. Whatever Arturo was feeling was none of my concern. In the end, he was still willing to kill his own daughter over this feud. He was a dangerous man that bought and sold women into slavery. The city was better off under Louisa.

He was going to show. As the guards deposited me outside of the gates and I began to walk back to the spot where I’d meet Ethan, I had no doubt that Arturo was going to show up. That sort of emotion wasn’t something a man could easily fake, and I doubted Arturo was in the practice of faking his emotions anymore. He wanted to see his daughter and to work out peace, or at least to murder her in cold blood.

I couldn’t help but smile to myself. We were going to get the drop on him, and he had no clue that it was happening. I couldn’t let myself be fooled by his momentary display of emotions.

Arturo was a bastard and a demon, and we were going to destroy him once and for all.

T
he night was
dark and full of terror. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, feeling the pressure of the bulletproof vest straps against my chest. I glanced over at Wyatt and he smiled at me reassuringly.

The meeting was happening in an empty lot in the middle of nowhere. We were well outside of the city, and it took us an hour to drive out there. I had no clue why Arturo chose this spot, but it didn’t matter.

We got there with plenty of time. Kasia, Roger Dean, and my two best snipers were in position around the lot, easily hidden in the trees and on top of an old apartment building nearby.

Wyatt and I stood alone in the field, waiting. We were ten minutes early, and I could feel my nerves spreading through my body.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I’m good.”

“Good.” I looked at me and grinned, bumping my shoulder with his shoulder. “You’re going to be fine.”

“I’m not worried about me. I’m worried about the city.”

He nodded and looked off into the distance. “Arturo asked me why I came back.”

“What did you say?”

“I said it was because I wanted revenge on you.”

“How’s that going so far?”

“Not great.” He grinned at me and then looked back into the distance. “I lied, of course. I didn’t want to tell him the real reason.”

“What’s that?”

He looked at me. “I’m in love with you Louisa. Have been since the moment we met.”

I blinked, shocked at his words. Suddenly, everything that had happened, everything that was going to happen, it all made sense. I felt like my life just clicked into place at that moment. A small smile spread across his lips as I stared at him, a fountain of emotion welling up inside of me.

I felt like I was going to burst. My entire life was spent alone. Even when I was a young girl and the little darling of the mafia, I was always alone. I was separate from everyone else because of my gender, and I could never be close to anyone because of that. I was the boss’s daughter, the off-limits mafia princess. People respected me, but only because they had to.

My girls respected me. Kasia respected me, maybe even loved me. Lucas was the only person in the world that I thought really gave a shit about me, at least until this moment.

It was true. Wyatt had risked his life for me by setting up this meeting. I argued against him going in person, but he said that was the only way, and I had to respect that. They could have killed him on sight, and part of me thought they would, but Wyatt was willing to make that gamble for me.

He was willing to do whatever it took, all for me.

“I love you too,” I said, nearly a whisper.

He nodded. “I know you do.”

“I never should have sent you away. I’m sorry, Wyatt. I’m so sorry.”

He took my hand briefly and squeezed before letting go. “I’d kiss you right now, but I don’t want to tip our hand in case your father is watching.”

“Good point.”

He grinned at me then. “But when we survive this, I’m going to show you exactly how I feel about you.”

I smiled back, and all of my nerves were shattered and gone. The only thing I felt was desire and love for this man, this incredible, strong man. I’d never met someone with such an amazing resolve before.

I never wanted to share my empire. I wanted to live a solitary life, go through the world as my own woman. I couldn’t imagine being owned by a man. The mere thought disgusted me to my very core. But Wyatt was different. He didn’t want to control me, not really. He wanted me because of how strong I was, because of how powerful I was. He was attracted to that strength.

And that feeling was mutual. I couldn’t be with a normal man. Even the big alpha bad boys that worked for my father weren’t man enough for me. I needed a man that understood real power, and knew how the world really worked. Wyatt was that kind of man. He could beat a man senseless with his fists, or he could work a room full of rich donors. He could do whatever it took to rise through the ranks, and he would never settle for being second rate. Wyatt Carter was the only man in this world that could possibly hope to tame me, and I couldn’t believe I had actually found him.

The chances of that were insane. The chances that he would feel the same way about me were even crazier, and I was going to work my butt off from this moment on to make the best of every single moment I had with him.

Assuming this wasn’t our last moment together. Assuming we were going to come through this, alive and stronger than ever.

There was no guarantee. My father may not even show up, and he might just send a death squad to deal with me that way. If that happened, we had plans, but the war would continue and things would get worse. Or they’d get me, and I’d go down fighting, the same way I lived.

I couldn’t be sure. This was it, the moment I’d been waiting for. This was going to end it all, one way or the other. And I was so thankful that I had Wyatt by my side.

The night was quiet. We stood there side by side, watching, breathing, waiting. A million thoughts spun through my head. So much had happened between us since all of this had started, and so much was yet to come. But this was the biggest moment of our lives, I could feel it deep down in my bones.

Suddenly, there were lights up ahead of us. It started out dim and got closer. I could hear the hum of engines. Wyatt glances at me. “Ready?” he asked.

“I’m ready,” I said.

He made a quick hand gesture behind his back, signaling the team. We were on total radio-silence, just in case Arturo was listening in. We didn’t want him to know what was coming.

Three large, black SUVs pulled up in front of us. They circled once then finally came to a stop about fifty feet away. The doors opened, and men spilled out.

There were four men per car, so twelve in total. I recognized my father and his closest advisor, Ernesto. They stopped about twenty feet in front of us, the men loaded and heavily armed. I could barely make out my father’s face because the truck lights were blaring behind them.

“Louisa,” he called out.

I stepped toward him. “Arturo.”

“When we last met like this, I thought you were a liar. I didn’t believe that my only daughter had been fighting me behind my back this whole time.” He shook his head, frowning. “But it seems that I was a fool.”

“You were,” I agreed. “And now you’re here to pay for that.”

“I will pay, though not the way you think. Louisa, I want to end this war.”

“What will you give me?”

“Half of the city. You will have all of the Russian territory, plus a small chunk of ours. In exchange, we will stop fighting, we will destroy the Russians together, and the mob will be allowed to continue its sex trade.”

There was complete silence for a moment. Then, I began to laugh. I felt it bubble up through my chest and burst out from between my lips. It was almost like a coughing fit, and Wyatt looked at me like I was insane.

“What’s so funny?” Ernesto snapped, but Arturo calmed him.

I couldn’t help myself. He was such an egomaniac, such a piece of shit. After all of this, he still underestimated me.

His plan was so transparent. He wanted to get me into a war that my people would never agree with while he was allowed to continue to do the one thing we truly hated. We’d fight his war for him, and my own group would be weakened by the end.

Even assuming my girls didn’t overthrow me and kill me by then. His proposal was so absurd and obvious that I couldn’t help but laugh at it.

Finally, I got myself under control, smiling and shaking my head.

“You’re still an old fool, Arturo,” I said.

“My offer is fair. Together, we can rule this city like father and daughter.”

“I bet you really mean that,” I said, smiling huge. “I bet you really think you’re being fair, or as fair as I deserve.” I took a deep breath. “No, Arturo. I reject your terms and offer you mine. You will surrender. Your mafia will be broken into pieces. You will never traffic humans ever again. You will leave the city, and your captains will leave the city, all except Lucas. You will do that tonight.”

Arturo frowned. “Or else what?”

“Or else I’ll destroy you.”

“You’re alone out here, daughter. It’s only you and that traitor you’ve been fucking. You’re in no position to make threats.”

“I’ve given you my terms. Do you accept them?”

“No,” he said sadly. “I will not. I hoped it wouldn’t come to this.”

“It never had to come to this. You’ve had a stranglehold on this city for too long, and you’ve grown fat and complacent. It’s time to allow the new blood to rule in your place. I’ll be fairer and better than you ever could have hoped to be.”

“What do you know of ruling?” he roared. “I’ve controlled this city for half of my life, for all of yours. I created this city, I own this city. You’re just a weak girl, a pathetic girl trying to overthrow her father. Now come over here and stop being a foolish child.”

“Goodbye, Arturo,” I said, and then hit a button on a remote control hidden in my hand.

Smoke bombs burst, billowing smoke up into the air. Wyatt and I dropped to the ground, slipping small portable gas masks over our faces. The gas wasn’t poisonous or anything, but it would be choking-thick for some time.

That was when the firing started. The snipers began their work, one cracking shot after the next. Arturo’s men began to fire back, shooting off like crazy, but we stayed close to the ground, heads turned and low.

There was yelling and screaming, but the smoke was too thick. My father was such a fool not to see this same trick coming again. I heard one of the cars start to pull away, but its tire burst as someone shot it out. The glass was shattered as the snipers picked off the men inside.

Chaos and blood and destruction. It all happened around us as we remained tucked and low, keeping ourselves out of the crossfire. Arturo’s men continued shooting, but they were doomed. Arturo assumed that we’d come out in force, but instead we were smart, and that was why we were going to win.

It took maybe five minutes for the shots to finally subside. After it was over, there was a deep, eerie silence over the area. I could hear a man nearby groaning in pain as his life slowly drained out of him.

Wyatt stood up first, a gun in his hands. He helped me slowly to my feet as the smoke began to softly billow about, clearing as the wind picked up. We pulled off our masks and surveyed the damage.

Arturo’s men were all dead. The tires in the trucks were shot out. Blood was splattered everywhere, bodies torn to pieces by high-powered rifles. I saw Ernesto pinned up against the hood of a truck, moaning. He looked up as Wyatt put a bullet in his skull, ending his misery.

It was glorious and it was terrible. It was exactly as we planned it.

My father was huddled on the ground, his eyes wide with horror. Not a single bullet had touched him, although he was splattered with the blood of his men. Wyatt and I walked over to him as he dropped back onto his ass, his knees tucked into his chest.

“It’s over,” I said to him.

“It’s never over,” he whispered. “I always win.”

“Not this time, Arturo,” Wyatt said. “Surrender.”

His eyes flashed. “Never.”

Wyatt smiled. I loved him so much. “Good,” he said, and drew a long knife from his belt.

I drew out my knife. Arturo’s eyes went wide with horror.

“No,” he said.

“Yes,” I answered.

I drove my knife into his side. He screamed in pain. I tore it back out, slick with blood.

Wyatt pushed him back and then plunged his knife into Arturo’s chest. Arturo screamed, blood gurgling in his throat. Wyatt pulled his knife out. I stabbed downward, aiming for the heart. I pierced his chest bone and felt the knife enter into Arturo’s beating muscle.

It went still. His scream choked in his throat. He slowly went limp, blood streaming from his lifeless corpse.

I stumbled backward, dropping my knife. Wyatt dropped his, grabbing me into his arms.

“It’s over,” he said.

I nodded, pressing myself against his chest.

My father lay at our feet, his blood slowly draining into the sandy soil.

Wyatt took my chin and kissed me hard. I kissed him back, my mind racing, but my heart steady. I was in love and I had won.

That was all that mattered. I was in love and I had won. Together, we were going to take the city from my father. There was nobody left to oppose us. The mafia would break into pieces as it tore itself apart, and I would swoop in and take control.

Wyatt planned all of this from the start. His idea was simple: we needed to kill Arturo. The rest of the mob would fall once he was gone. Getting him alone was the hard part, but we got there eventually. We used some of our old tricks, and of course they worked again. Arturo was too proud to plan for anything he didn’t think of himself.

I held Wyatt hard, kissing him, letting his love flow into me. We were going to run this city together, and nobody could stop us. We’d send Arturo’s mangled body back to his people and let them fight over his scraps. The knives were a message to anyone that wanted to oppose us.

We were brutal and we were strong.

Most of all, we were in love.

Wyatt was my king, and I was his to do with whatever he chose. I knew that I had made the right choice. I could hear voices around us as Kasia and the others entered the clearing, but I didn’t care.

All I wanted was to kiss the man that I needed, the man that helped me win this impossible war. He was mine and I was his.

The city would bow down before our love.