The Vengeful Queen: A Mafia Romance (The Hale Mafia Book 2) Read online

  I slip back into the night without another word to anyone.

  She knows now.

  I’ve been watching Charlie ever since I saw her at the bank with one of the twins. I never took the time to learn who is who because they aren’t important to me. They’re nothing more than Theodore’s attack dogs. Or were, shall I say, now that he’s gone.

  I don’t think I’ve ever rejoiced more in my life than the night I heard the news, but it was short-lived. I’ve wanted Charlie longer than I can even think back. When Theodore died, I thought it would be the perfect time to swoop in and play the hero and comfort her while she cried, but I never got the chance. Those lowlife twins never leave her side. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re fucking her at this very moment. Running their filthy hands through her long brown hair. Kissing her perfectly pale skin with their disgusting lips.

  I clench my fists and push the thoughts away. It should be me there with her. It was always supposed to be me.

  My thoughts race as I stare out the small round window. After what seems like an eternal flight, I can finally feel the plane beginning to descend. The only people on board are the pilot and me, yet, having all this quiet time to reflect, I can’t help but feel like I have just had an entire conversation with a stranger. When I saw Charlie park in front of that storage unit, I knew it was over. I had been watching her and trying to put together my own leads. I thought I had a lucky break when I figured out her dad had a unit, but that ended abruptly once she found it first.

  I’m not sure what he hid inside, but the old man was a fucking prick. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was dirt on me in there. He followed me and David for too long. It’s one of the reasons he was killed, and I couldn’t be happier that I’m one of the people who put that motherfucker in a grave.

  The scenery changes as we approach the runway. I can feel the slight bumps from the landing gear as it caresses the asphalt. I gather my things and thank the pilot as I exit the plane. The steps are narrow and steep, but I make my way to the bottom and head for the car waiting on the tarmac.

  I’ve always maintained a low profile when it came to my dealings with the cartel, but that’s all about to go out the window. Charlie is in the clutches of the mafia, my number one annoyance and enemy. I don’t care about staying hidden anymore. All I care about is getting her to her rightful spot beside me.

  The driver nods as I enter the car. I can hear the monotonous hiss of the tires as they begin to pound the recently rain-washed highway. The car continues to veer down curvy roads and onto beaten paths before it finally slows in front of my final destination. I step out and take in what little scenery exists. A brick walkway leads through a white picket-style fence. Just beyond that, a long and narrow two-story house with wooden-framed windows sits solemn with little decoration. I readjust the Beretta tucked in my waistband as I approach the door at the top of the steps and knock. Let’s hope Sebastian is home.

  The door swings open and I’m met with the man himself. The combination of his thick black mustache, stature, and baritone, raspy voice makes him a very intimidating leader. His lip curls up in disgust as he looks at me. “Puto cerdo.” Fucking pig is all he says.

  I roll my eyes and stuff my hands in my pockets. “I have information. Do you want it or not?”

  He tips his chin. “I don’t need anything from you. I don’t lay in the mud with pigs.”

  For years I’ve gone round and round with Sebastian. He hates me because I’m a cop, and I hate him simply for putting my cousin in the crossfire of his shit. What he doesn’t know is my badge means nothing to me. I only took the job to help David, but now he won’t listen.

  “You can either listen to what I have to say or find David dead by tomorrow.”

  His eyes widen the slightest bit. I knew that would get his attention.

  I continue. “The girl who took over Hale’s territory?” He nods, urging me to go on. “She’s the daughter of the man David and I took out. The one who was weaseling his way toward you.”

  “The old cop?”

  I nod. “That’s the one. And I can tell you from experience, she isn’t what you think. She’s probably worse than all the Hales put together. When she wants something, she doesn’t stop until she has it. I’ve moved shit around, hiding small pieces of evidence about her dad, but I think she’s finally putting it together. Of course, nothing will point to you. It’ll all point to David. So, if you value his work, I suggest you keep listening.”

  He bites his lip and crosses his arms. “Keep going.”

  “I have a buddy who works for the ATF. He’s willing to come down and find some hard evidence to throw the Hales away. From there, you can handle it how you want behind bars, and I’ll handle the girl.”

  He lets out a laugh. “You expect me to depend on another pig?”

  “If you want to keep David around, you will.” I level my eyes with him.

  “I’ll think about it. Now—” He points to the car waiting at the end of his drive. “—get out of my city.”

  I turn and walk back to the car. I am confident Sebastian won’t turn down such an offer, but then again, maybe he will. The cartel doesn’t work with anyone in uniform. David associating with me is already sketchy as fuck to them, but he’s proved his loyalty. He’s done things no one else would do, like killing a cop. He’s earned their trust. I’m only hoping I can do the same. For my cousin’s sake.

  Charlie won’t stop until she puts all of the pieces together. I just hope I can get to her before the cartel does. Her vendetta against me just grew by the millions if her dad kept anything on me stashed away, but I’m praying she’ll look past it and see the bigger picture. I did what had to be done to protect my family. It sucks she’s caught in the crossfire of it, but still. I can be so much more for her. I can do so much more for her. She doesn’t belong with criminals like the Hales. She belongs with me.

  “Where did it come from?” I throw the now opened envelope onto my desk and wait for the twins to answer.

  Julius stays silent, as always, while Lucas keeps his eyes glued to the floor. His swollen cheek and bruised nose show my message was received loud and clear last night.

  “I don’t know. The guard from that night never reported anything suspicious. Said he never saw anything either other than Cameron, but the note was there before he showed up. That’s the only lead we had.” Lucas shrugs weakly.

  I pull the paper from the envelope and reexamine the words. They are typed in bold black ink. The paper is thin and has many creases as if it had been folded and unfolded multiple times.

  You belong with me, and I will have you. Mark my words, Charlotte.

  “It’s been four weeks. I expected answers by now. Go find them!” I yell.

  Both Lucas and Julius stand and exit my office as Charlie walks in. She doesn’t move with the same authority she used to. Instead, she walks light on her feet, almost like she’s scared to make noise, and keeps her eyes on me.

  “Can we talk?” she squeaks, sitting in front of me.

  I nod and push the envelope and folded paper toward her. “What is this?” she asks, picking it up.

  “Maybe you can tell me,” I reply.

  Her eyes scan the page, then shoot back to me.

  “That’s the envelope that was in the duffel bag the day you made that bank run and ran into Cameron.”

  “Lucas said it was expense reports.”

  I nod. “He did because he thought it was something I put in there. Instructions or something else for my ‘death.’”

  Her face melts the slightest bit with my words. “Who left this?”

  I tell her the truth. “I don’t know.”

  Fear replaces her expression, and suddenly all I want to do is reassure her. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Monkshood. Messing with me is one thing. Messing with what belongs to me is another. It’s a death sentence.” The words come out harsher than expected, but I don’t try to correct them.

  I reach a
cross my desk and run the back of my hand along her cheek. She flinches, then hardens under my touch. I almost feel bad. Almost. I’ve been too soft with her. Now it’s time to let her know I don’t play. It’s time to show her the real man she claims to love.

  I lean back in my chair and chuckle. “You can leave now.” I wave my hand toward the door.

  She tips her head and squints her eyes. “Who are you?”

  I look behind me, then back to her while motioning to myself. “Me?” I inhale and exhale slowly. “I’m just a man questioning all he’s done for a woman who clearly doesn’t love him the same way.”

  She stands quickly with glassy eyes zeroed in on me. “That’s bullshit and you know it, Teddy. I have never loved any man the way I love you. I’ve left all I know, broken my own moral code, all just to be with you. I look past all of the terrible shit you do because I fucking love you! And you know what? Sometimes I can’t fucking stand it!” She throws her hands up. “Even now, right this second, I can’t stand how much I love you. You’re treating me like dirt, and I’m still ready to jump when you tell me.”

  I lick my lips and watch as her body shakes with anticipation for my next words. “Jump, then, Charlotte.”

  Her shoulders slouch and her head falls with a sad chuckle. “Fuck you.”

  I stand and circle my desk. Stopping in front of her, I grip her chin and bring her face to mine. “What was that?”

  She squares her shoulders and jerks out of my grip. There she is. The Charlie I know.

  “I said, fuck you.”

  A smile spreads across my face as I catch a glimpse of Lucas in the doorway out the corner of my eye. I’m not sure why he’s back. I know he doesn’t have answers, but what better time to show him Charlie really is mine.

  “How about I just fuck you instead?” I whisper, turning her back toward the door and tucking my head into her hair.

  Her body tenses again as I move to look at her. I can see the anger burning in her eyes, and the lust she can’t deny.

  “If you love me, show me,” I say, walking my fingers down the front of her chest. “Get on your knees.”

  “No.” She steps back and crosses her arms.

  I rush to her front and grip the back of her head so she can’t move. “You know you want this as bad as me. You need this.” I grind my already hard dick into her hip.

  A small moan escapes her, betraying the hard façade she’s trying to keep in place.

  “Come on, Monkshood. Show me.” I nip my teeth along her jaw.

  She lets her head fall into the crook of my neck where she plants a soft kiss. I can feel the tears falling from her eyes seep through my shirt, but right now I’m not worried about her. I have something to prove.

  My eyes lock with Lucas’s as he watches from the doorway. He shakes his head slowly as his hands twitch by his side. He wants to stop me, to protect Charlie from the man that is me, but he won’t. One thing he knows about me is I don’t lie. My little tussle with him may have been a warning, but my words weren’t a threat. They were a promise.

  I flash him a smile before pushing Charlie to her knees. She slowly complies. I can tell she is hesitant at first, but as I stare down on her and unbuckle my belt, she ultimately submits. My eyes challenge hers. I can tell she doesn’t want to do this, but she will for me. She’ll always do what I ask, what I want.

  I push the edge of my pants and boxers down, letting my dick spring free. Tears fall from her eyes silently as she looks to me again. Are you sure? She remains silent, but I can see the question in her green orbs.

  I nod and tap her closed lips with the head of my length. “Show me,” I hiss, and she does.

  She takes me into her mouth and squeezes her eyes shut as I thrust lightly over her warm tongue, hitting the back of her throat. The tears now flow as she slobbers and gags, but I continue to facefuck her with my eyes fixed on Lucas. My head falls back, a low shrill breaking through my mouth.

  “That’s it,” I praise her.

  Lucas stands by the door unmoving, watching as I grip Charlie’s long brown hair into my hands. I hold her head steady and quicken my pace, shoving my dick deeper and deeper with every thrust.

  Once her gags and moans are almost deafening, he parts with a disgusted look on his face. I chuckle to myself, then explode in Charlie’s mouth.

  She swallows and stands. Her green eyes have a red tint with mascara painted in streaks down her face. I drag my thumb over her lips, from one side to the other, then plant a soft kiss on them.

  “Good girl,” I whisper, before walking out of my office, leaving her alone.

  I give myself a moment to compose before I leave Teddy’s office. He hasn’t even been back a week, and here I am, falling to my knees to please him even though he doesn’t deserve it. Maybe it’s a punishment to myself. I know what I did, and I deserve how he’s treating me. It’s a total cop-out to think that way, but I couldn’t care less. As terrible as he is, I do love him and will do anything to prove it. Even if that means degrading myself. Love is a wicked thing.

  I walk to the kitchen but stop in my tracks when I make it through the doorway. Lucas is sitting alone at the counter with a glass in front of him filled with amber liquid. Whiskey if I had to guess. He is quietly swirling the glass, listening to the clinking of the ice cubes.

  I turn to back out, but he catches me. “Charlie. Wait. Please.”

  I’m not sure if it’s the pain in his voice that turns me around or the desperation not to be alone, but against my better judgment and Teddy’s warning, I do. “What?” I snap.

  “We need to talk.” He pats the stool next to him.

  I huff and lean against the doorjamb. “There is nothing to talk about, Lucas.”

  He takes a swig of his drink, gulping the last of the liquid in his mouth and swallowing before he turns back to me. “There is. You can spend the rest of your life hating me, or you can listen to what I have to say.”

  I push off the jamb and go to walk away. “I’d rather hate you.”

  I wish I could tell him it’s only for his own good—our own good—but I can’t. If he thinks I hate him, it’ll be easier on both of us. Sure, I never loved Lucas, but I did have feelings for him. He helped me see the light in a dark time. He became the friend I never expected to have. Someone who kept the memory of Teddy alive for me in a way.

  I only make it a few steps before his hand is grabbing my elbow and hauling me back. He turns me to look at him again, then brings his face an inch from mine. “Hate me, Flower, I couldn’t give a fuck less. But you need to realize he was the one who told me what to do. My loyalty lies far deeper with him than it does you. If you want to hate someone, hate him,” he growls.

  I swallow and scowl at him. “Don’t get it wrong, I hate him too.” I wince at the words because maybe they are true. Love and hate run hand in hand, and sometimes it’s hard to distinguish the difference. Or maybe I just hate who he is now.

  I shake the thoughts away and continue. “But he wasn’t the one trying to fuck me while I mourned. How low do you have to be to go that far, pretty boy?”

  He leans his head back and cackles at my question. “So, you’re a liar and a whore. If I’m remembering correctly, you’re the one who kissed me. I’m the one who stopped it.”

  His words hurt, but I don’t let it show on my face. He’s right. I’m a liar. But I thought if I said it out loud and he somehow believed it, then I could believe it and feel better. Not feel the crushing weight of all the guilt alone.

  I tilt my chin and listen as he continues.

  “Boss was out of the picture, so you had to hop to the next. Tell me, baby, do you get off sucking his dick when he treats you like shit? Or is it just fucking men who murder? Knowing the pussy between your legs, the only thing you’re good for, can drive them so mad they’d kill for you? Is that why you wanted me?”

  His words mixed with the whiskey on his breath make me sick as the realization dawns on me. “You saw—”

&n
bsp; He doesn’t let me finish. “Oh, I saw it all. How you gagged and drooled as he shoved his cock into your throat. How he grabbed your hair so you couldn’t move. Does that light another fire in you? Knowing I saw it all?”

  I don’t answer. Humiliation crawls all over my body. Lucas watched Teddy use me. Even worse, I let Teddy use me. My cheeks burn hot as my mouth goes dry.

  “Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. But I’m telling you now. Don’t. Fucking. Cross. Me. I’ll show you how murderous someone can get over your fucking cunt.”

  Once he leaves the kitchen, I gasp for the air that’s left my lungs and sink to the floor. I’m stuck in a triangle I never intended to create or wanted to be in, and I have a feeling someone is going to die because of it.

  The slamming of the door wakes me. I bolt upright in the bed and glance behind me. No light shines through the thin curtains, so it still has to be night. I stand from the bed and slip on my robe before walking to my door and cracking it open.

  Teddy is already halfway down the hall, his eyes catching mine as he shuffles toward me. I step back into my room and leave the door open, waiting for him.

  He walks in and closes the door quietly behind him. I’m not sure why considering the slam from the front was already probably heard by everyone.

  “We have a problem,” he states.

  I tip my head. “What kind of problem?”

  He shakes his head and starts pacing the floor in front of me. “Lucas got a call that someone was at the warehouse snooping around.”

  “Okay? It shouldn’t matter because after you went away, I moved things around. The guns, the crates, everything that you had originally stored in the warehouse, has been relocated. It’s just an empty building.”

  “I know that. It’s more the fact of who was snooping around.” He stops pacing.

  “Who?”

  “An ATF agent.”

  My heart skips a beat with his words. We may have the cops here on our side, or the chief at least, but the ATF is nothing more than an outsider. Someone who’ll be harder to pay off.