BOW DOWN: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (Barone Crime Family) (9 page)

I
showed
up at his hotel wearing a short dark dress that showed my body off. I wasn’t sure what I was trying to accomplish with it, but I wanted him to look at me. The other men in the lobby seemed to be, at least.

In the back of my mind, I knew that Kasia and her girls were getting in position and preparing to attack that mafia stronghold. They wouldn’t actually go ahead for a few more hours, but they were preparing themselves, moving their pieces into striking distance.

And here I was, sitting in a hotel lobby bar, sipping a vodka martini.

I had to admit, I didn’t like that I was never in any real physical danger. The things I participated in had their own risks, but rarely was it my life on the line. I understood that I couldn’t risk myself, because without me the whole thing fell apart. Kasia could probably step up and keep it going for a while, but she didn’t have the vision or the contacts or the skills that I had.

In the end, my game was completely different. I could still remember the last time I was in the field.

It was a meeting with my father. Actually, it was the first meeting with my father, the day I actually revealed myself to him. He was livid, so angry, and I loved that look on his face, that shock and anger. He didn’t believe me, treated me like his stupid daughter, and that was his downfall.

My people set off smokes and began to slaughter every single mafia person around. It was pure terror and chaos. The abandoned warehouse where we met became a slaughterhouse. Men screamed as bullets flew through the air. Kasia pulled me out of there before we could become targets, but I wanted to stay. I wanted to help. I wanted to hurt the man that had hurt my city so badly.

In the end, we didn’t get anyone too important that night. All the high level guys were protected and hustled out of there immediately while their soldiers fought back. We lost a few girls, but the mafia took some serious damage that night. Their confidence was shaken, at the very least.

I could still feel that excitement inside of me. It was like a small steaming hot rock dropped in a lake. Water evaporated all around it, bubbling and boiling and roiling, while it never cooled down, only got hotter.

I caught sight of Wyatt as he made his way toward me. In that moment, I realized how I loved being with him so much: the feeling I got when he took my body was incredibly similar to the feeling I got that night in the field. It was intense and powerful and rooted in something primal deep inside of me.

“What’s with the smile?” he asked as he approached.

“Nothing,” I said. “Just remembering something.”

He sat down next to me. “What are you drinking?”

“Vodka martini.”

He caught the bartender’s eye and ordered two before looking back at me. “You look good.”

“I always do.”

He grinned. “I like that about you.”

“That I look good?”

“No. That you know it.”

I shrugged, finishing my drink as my second arrived. “Women notice when men stare.”

“I don’t stare.”

“I’m sure you do.”

“I don’t need to. Women stare at me.”

I laughed, shaking my head. He was so damn cocky, but somehow it worked on him. He had that edge about him that somehow backed up what he was saying.

“Did you call me here just to brag?”

“Not exactly.” He sipped his drink. “Bragging is just part of it.”

“I’m sure. You can’t help yourself.”

“It’s almost as if you’re pretending like you don’t love it.”

“I’m not pretending.”

He smirked and put his hand on my knee, squeezed, and released me. “I wanted to talk to you about a meeting I had earlier.”

“Okay,” I said. “Let’s hear it.”

“Not here. Let’s go upstairs.”

I nodded. He stood and I followed him. He carried his drink, but I left mine behind, not wanting to get too drunk. We rode the elevator up together, and I had to actively keep myself from trying to push him against the mirrored wall and kissing him.

I wanted to run my hands through his thick hair and squeeze it between my fingers. I wanted to hear that grunt he made as I took his cock down my throat, suppressing a gag and looking up at him.

We got off at the top and walked down the short hall to his room. I followed him inside.

“Drink?” he asked.

“No, thanks.” I sat down in a chair, crossing my legs. “It’s almost like you’re trying to get me drunk.”

“I don’t need to get you drunk to take what I want from you.” He stood behind me, tipping my chin back.

“Don’t be so sure about that.”

He bent forward and kissed me passionately. I reached my hands up to cup his face as we kissed. That same thrill ran down my spine, excitement building in my core.

“That dress is driving me fucking insane,” he said. “I want to hike it up to your hips and make you ride my cock until I fill you with my cum.”

“Then it’s having the desired effect.” I smiled at him.

He kissed me once more, harder, and then walked over to the couch. He sat, crossing his legs, ankle over knee.

“Your meeting?” I prompted.

“With Police Chief Idiot.”

“Herbert,” I corrected, smiling.

“Right, Herbert. Frank Herbert, the dumb fucking idiot that keeps us safe at night.” He sighed and sipped his drink.

“What did you two discuss?”

“You, actually. Well, your organization.”

“What did he have to say?”

“Surprisingly little. He made it seem pretty clear that he had no interest in pursuing your people so long as your main target remained the mafia.”

“I find that hard to believe.”

“I do too. I pressed, but he didn’t say much more.”

“Aren’t you his boss?”

“No. We’re on different sides of the same team, though, more or less.”

“So you have influence?”

“Only influence. Your father is going to be so disappointed when he finds out that I couldn’t get more from him.”

“I’m sure he’ll survive. Or not. I don’t care either way.”

“Speaking of your father. I wanted to talk to you about that.”

“He’s our enemy now.”

“That’s right.” He nodded seriously. “He’s my enemy now, too. I think we should hit him hard, take him down before he even realizes what’s happening.”

“I won’t argue with that.”

“I can hurt his business connections, and I can push to prosecute as many of his guys as possible. At the very least, I can tie them up in court.”

“I’m actually hitting one of his places today.”

He looked surprised. “Really?”

“We’re still at war, you know.”

“Of course.”

“A group of my girls identified a cache of weapons and money at a strip club he runs. We’re going to attack it, take the cash and guns, and kill every mafia guy there.”

“Brutal.” He smiled. “I like it.”

“He still outnumbers me,” I went on, “but I’m growing. An influx of cash and guns will go a long way toward helping me.”

“Where are you recruiting from?”

“Mostly the girls we safe.”

He frowned. “That’s slow.”

“How?”

“They’re untrained and there’s a limited supply. Have you thought about hiring men?”

“I have. I’m not sure that will go over well.”

“You might not be able to win without doing it.”

“My group likes to feel like a bunch of freedom fighters. That’s why we fight so well together, and why they’re so intense. If I start hiring guys, it might start to feel like a normal mafia, and morale could plummet.”

“I see,” he said. “I guess there’s a lot that goes into running something like the Spiders.”

“Nothing is ever easy.”

“Of course not.”

He finished his drink and stood up.

“But we’re doing well against them, despite the numbers. His group is fractured on the inside. I know there’s talk of rebellion. We just need to widen that crack and give it a tip, and the whole thing will topple over.”

“How can you be sure?”

“I’ve spoken with a lot of people in the mafia. I was his daughter, after all.”

“Of course.” He walked to the bar. “Drink?”

“No, thank you.”

He poured himself a whisky and turned back toward me. Just then, there was a knock at the door.

He frozen, frowning. “I’m not expecting anyone,” he said softly, waking over to the door.

He looked out the peep hole then recoiled visibly. “Shit,” he said softly, walking over to me.

“What? Who is it?”

“Your father.”

I stood, anger boiling through me. “You did this.”

He stared at me for a second before shaking his head. “We’ll talk about that comment later. Right now, you need to go into my bedroom.”

“What? You want me to hide?”

“God damn right I do.”

“No.”

“He knows I’m in here. I can’t turn him away, and you can’t be here.”

I stared at him for a second, anger rolling through me, but I knew he was right. I couldn’t just stand there. He had to let my father in, and I had to hide.

Without another word, I turned and walked back into the bedroom. I shut the door and turned the lock, sitting down onto his bed.

I was furious. Part of me thought that he set this whole thing up, but that was absurd. Of course he didn’t set this up. If he did, he wouldn’t make me hide.

Plus, I was in actual danger. I didn’t have any of my people with me, and I was sure that my father did. If he saw me, Arturo would take me and do who knows what with me. He’d probably put a bullet in my head at best. He’d make it fast and clean, since I was his daughter, but he’d dispose of me like any other problem he had in his life.

I hated being locked in a room, hiding like a child from my father, but I saw no other way. I had to trust Wyatt, and hope that he’d handle this well.

I
knew Louisa was angry
, and I couldn’t blame her. It looked pretty fucking bad that her father, our mortal enemy, happened to show up right when she was sitting in my room, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Calling Arturo earlier was probably a mistake. The man liked to drop by without calling first, probably because he enjoyed putting people off balance. It annoyed me to no end, and in this instance it was actually working.

I pulled the door open. “Arturo,” I said.

He smiled at me. “Wyatt. You kept me waiting.”

“I’m sorry about that. I was on a call.”

“Are you sure? Not hiding a woman friend in there?”

I did my best not to show him anything. “I wish my job gave me that kind of luxury.”

“Oh, I’m sure you could get anything you really wanted, Wyatt.”

“Of course. Come in, Arturo.”

I stepped aside and he stepped into my living room. I glanced at his usual muscle before shutting the door and stepping in behind him.

“Drink?”

“Of course.”

I poured two whiskeys, handing him one and sitting in my usual spot on the couch. I was nervous for some insane reason. I knew he wasn’t going to walk into the bedroom and find Louisa, but there was still some irrational part of me that was afraid he’d know she was there, just on the other side of a wall.

That would be a disaster. I didn’t know where Ethan was, and I doubted I could take both of his guys out there. Without weapons, probably, but I was sure they were packing, and my gun was in my room with Louisa.

“What can I do for you?” I asked him.

“You know why I’m here. You met with the chief.”

“I did.”

“And how did that meeting go?”

“It went well. He seemed receptive to my ideas.”

I was keeping it as vague as possible to avoid Arturo checking any facts. I didn’t want him to see the knife I planned on plunging into his chest until it was far too late to get out of the way.

“That’s good to hear,” he said. “Did you ascertain why the chief wasn’t going after them?”

“No, not really.”

“Not really?”

“He alluded to their own incompetence.”

He laughed loudly, tossing his head back. “He didn’t.”

“He did. He said that the Spiders were very difficult to find.”

“That dumb bastard.”

“He was probably trying to praise them. But he just sounded pathetic.”

Arturo shook his head, grinning. “Herbert is pathetic. I remember when he was just some desk sergeant back in the day. He’s a puffed up asshole with no brain, and that whole department is fucked.”

“You’re probably right.”

“I’m always right, Wyatt. You’ll see one day.”

“You don’t get to your position in life by being wrong all the time, that’s for sure.”

“Exactly that, Wyatt. Exactly that.” He knocked back his drink.

“I think Herbert might be a dead end for you.”

“Could be.” He stood and got himself another drink.

“What are you planning, then?”

“We have some ideas.”

I wanted to press, but I knew that I shouldn’t. “If I can help, let me know.”

“Help in exchange for a healthy bribe, you mean.”

I help up my drink in a salute. “Of course.” I knocked it back.

He laughed. “I like you, Wyatt. You’re not like the other politicians. They’re all stuffy rich fucks, but I think I understand you. We come from the same place, you know.”

“I knew you grew up in the city.”

“Grew up poor as dirt, like you. Look at us now, though. Powerful men, born with nothing.”

He wasn’t wrong about that, though we were nothing alike. Arturo was a brute, a stupid hammer. I thought ten moves ahead while Arturo was still understanding the rules.

“I take that as a high compliment,” I said.

“As you should.” He sat back down. “I have big plans for this city. I need men like you on my side.”

“What kind of plans?”

“Oh, big dreams. I want to run all the little gangs out of town and crack down on crime. If my organization is the only game in town, I can keep this city as peaceful as I want it.”

“While controlling the cash flow.”

“Of course.”

“But that means taking out the Spiders.”

“And every other little upstart in my way.”

“Big dreams.”

“I’m not far from it.”

“What do the Russians think?”

“The Russians are nothing. They’re spit under my shoe. I will crush them as I’ve crushed the Spiders.”

I smiled and nodded, not saying anything.

The man was clearly delusional. His organization was the strongest in the city, it was true, but the Spiders were doing serious damage. If he kept this war up the way it was going, he’d win, but the Russians would swoop in and take everything.

Either he saw that as clear as day, or he was a complete idiot.

“Well, Arturo, as I’ve said. Anything I can do.”

“Push to arrest and get those damn Spiders behind bars, that’s what you can do.”

I nodded. “I’ll do my best.”

“Good.” He stood. “Now, I’ll let you get back to whatever gorgeous girl you were sleeping with before I arrived.”

I smiled. “My laptop is hardly gorgeous, but thank you.” I stood and walked him to the door. I opened it and he turned to me.

“Stick with me, Wyatt. I can take you places, give you more power than you’d ever dreamed of. I’m taking over the city and I’m taking you with me.”

I nodded. “Thank you.”

We shook hands and then he left. His goons followed him.

I shut the door softly, releasing a breath.

That was fucking close. I knew playing both sides would be difficult, but I didn’t fucking think Arturo and Louisa would come to my fucking room at the same damn time. That shit was god damn stressful, and I was so glad that Arturo was gone.

I moved toward the bedroom, but the door flew open. Louisa stepped out.

“You two sound very friendly,” she said.

“Of course we do. I need him to believe that we’re on the same side.”

She scowled at me before walking to the door. “I’m leaving.”

“We didn’t finish talking.”

“We’re done for now. You talked enough with my father.”

“Okay then,” I said, sighing. “If that’s what you want.”

She glared at me. “Don’t be stupid enough to listen to him.” She said. “He’s a snake. A liar. He’ll stab you in the back sooner than help you.”

“Not if we stab him first,” I said softly.

She nodded, expression hard. “Goodbye, Wyatt.”

She left, slamming the door behind her.

I stared at the door, sighing. I had expected to get a taste of Louisa again, and found myself extremely frustrated that I wasn’t getting what I wanted.

These damn fucking Barones. They were causing me a lot of problems and for very different reasons.