Broken Beginnings: A Dark Stalker Mafia Romance Read online

  “I’m here, right here,” I croak, my fear rising ten octaves when both men turn to face me. Scars cover their faces, and I know without a doubt that this is a fight I cannot win against their huge bodies. “Please, don’t hurt them. Please…” I beg because begging is all I have at this moment.

  One man looks me up and down and smiles. My skin crawls, and a fresh fear builds there, caused by the way he’s looking at me.

  “Come here.” He gestures for me to walk toward him, and it’s then that I catch the glint of a gun in the dim lighting.

  No. I won’t be responsible for another death. I won’t. As afraid as I am to go to him, I’m more afraid of what will happen if I don’t. Hesitantly, I walk toward him, doing my best not to look at Steven or Tracy. The moment I do, I know I’ll break down.

  “Please, she is just a child. She did nothing…” Steven takes a step forward, and I open my mouth to tell him to stop, to shut up, but it’s too late. The other man attacks before the words can come, and moments later, Steven is on the ground, huddled in the fetal position. Instinct makes me rush to his aide, but I make it all of two feet before an arm wraps around my middle, and I’m hauled backward into a hard chest.

  “Please, don’t hurt him. Please…” my voice cracks, and I struggle to break free of the man’s grasp. I don’t even realize I’m crying till I taste the salty tang of my tears on my lips.

  “If you’re a good girl and come with us, then maybe we won’t hurt him too badly.”

  “Please…” The world around me spins as I watch the other man kick Steven in the side repeatedly. I swear I can hear bones cracking. Tracy screams for him to stop. Her tear-filled eyes gut me, and all over again, I’m losing someone I care about.

  A sudden bout of dizziness slams into me, and I sway on my feet, making my knees knock together. I’m helpless to protect those I love. Panic seizes every inch of my body, and a flashback from the night that changed my life forever replays right before my eyes.

  The memory is too much to bear, and it feels like I’m not getting enough oxygen into my lungs. I’m gasping for air, but no one is going to save me.

  “We’re going to have so much fun with you,” the man holding me says into the shell of my good ear. It’s the last thing I hear before my eyes close, and I succumb to the panic that’s squeezing the air from my lungs.

  When I come to, I’m groggy, cold, and my teeth clank together. I clench my jaw to stop the chattering. Wrapping my arms around my middle, I take deep, calming breaths to stop myself from having another panic attack.

  Looking around the small room, it becomes apparent I’m locked inside a jail cell. I have no clue where I am or what happened to my parents. My clothing isn’t ripped, and I don’t feel violated in any way, but that doesn’t mean nothing happened.

  I’m alone in this dark cell with a dirty, musty smelling cot. I’m grateful I didn’t wake to find the two men who kidnapped me hovering above me, but I’m still terrified and wondering what the hell is going on?

  I’ve never seen them before in my life, but I’m guessing this has something to do with Lucca. There must have been a reason he wanted me gone and hidden away. That reason must have found me anyway.

  After a few minutes, my breathing returns to normal, and I build up the courage to get up and walk across the cell and over to the bars. I’d be a fool not to test the door, even though I’m certain it’s locked.

  I wrap a hand around the cold bar and tug, but the door doesn’t move. Shadows along the wall alert me of someone approaching. I rush back toward the wall, putting as much distance between myself and the door as I can. The cold brick penetrates through my clothing and skin, intensifying my shivering.

  The footsteps grow closer, and my breathing becomes more erratic. They’re going to kill me and cut me up and put me in a box.

  Okay, thinking like that is not helping.

  A man appears from the shadows and stops right in front of my cell. I start at his feet and work my way up. He’s an average-looking man, but the scar on the right side of his face that cuts through his eye gives him a dark edge.

  Fear bubbles beneath my skin again. I look down at his hand. There is a long chain in it, and at the end, I spot a shiny key.

  The lanky man says something as he inserts the key into the lock, but because his head is down, I can’t read his lips. I have no idea what he is saying, so I remain pressed against the wall.

  “Are you deaf?” he yells as the cell door creaks open.

  I remain huddled against the wall, unmoving. The last thing I want to do is walk toward the danger, but what option do I have?

  “Yes, I mean partly. I can read lips, but I didn’t see yours. So I don’t know what you were saying,” I ramble on, hoping my explanation is enough to lessen his anger.

  “Oh, fuck.” He laughs at me. “That’s funny. Well, I said, let’s go.”

  I swear part of my heart shrivels in my chest. There’s nothing I can do, no one that’s going to ride in on a white horse and save me.

  Forcing my feet forward, I walk toward the man. Each cold press of my feet into the concrete makes me tremble, and the closer I get, the more afraid I become.

  “Don’t make me come in there and get you because I promise you won’t like it.” The man curls his lip, and his menacing eyes cut me to the bone.

  I try to move faster, but fear has my muscles stiff. The shaking in my limbs doesn’t help. I’m only a few feet away when the man takes a step forward and grabs me, wrapping an arm around my upper arm and dragging me from the cell.

  “You fuckin’ stupid? When I tell you to do something, you do it now!” the man screams into my face. Droplets of saliva cling to my cheeks, but I don’t dare raise a hand to wipe them away. Shaking like a leaf, he drags me down the long corridor. We pass a few other cells, and I wonder where I am? Who it is that kidnapped me, and what they plan to do? That thought alone is enough to make me dig my heels into the ground and fight off this man.

  But what would I do after that? Where would I go? How would I escape this place? I wouldn’t. As frightened as I am, I have to think smart. I have to go along with whatever is going to happen, at least for the time being.

  Ahead is a huge archway, and as we pass through it, I notice we’re in a wine cellar. A few feet ahead, I spot a set of stairs, and the man’s grip on me becomes tighter. His fingers bite into the sensitive flesh, and I grit my teeth to stop myself from reacting.

  When we reach the next floor, we enter a hallway. The flooring beneath my feet is marble, and I whip my head around, taking in every sight and sound.

  At the end of the hallway, we enter a dining room that’s set for dinner, but that’s not what makes my skin crawl, or a tiny cry escape my lips. It’s the three men sitting at that table with resentful scowls on their faces.

  The youngest one’s eyes roam over my body, and when they meet mine, there is a sinister smile on his face that has me taking a step back.

  “Sit,” one of the older men orders.

  “Have dinner with us, or maybe we could have you for dinner?” The young man licks his lips. I shiver, afraid to speak.

  The man holding me releases me and shoves me toward the table. Hands out, I barely catch myself on it. I bite the inside of my cheek when my hip slams into the hardwood, and pain radiates up my side.

  “Sit the fuck down!” the other man commands.

  I trudge to the only open chair, which is across from the younger man. I wish I were wearing something else, wish I weren’t here at all.

  I feel so naked beneath their scornful gazes.

  “Give her to me. I’m sure fucking her will prove a point.” His gaze narrows. “I bet she’s a virgin. Pure and untouched.” The lust in his eyes builds. “We can send the bloody sheets to him just to prove our point.”

  What? Send the bloody sheets to who? Oh god, they’re going to rape me and kill me.

  “Please… I don’t know what this is about but—”

  “Shut t
he fuck up!” the man to my right yells. His fist comes down on the table, causing the glasses and silverware to jump. “You will not touch the girl, Igor. Not until after we’ve heard from Lucca.”

  Lucca? I knew it. I knew it had to do with something bad, but I never would have expected this. To be kidnapped and held hostage because of him. I’m reminded of how he told me he would always protect me.

  But he’s not here right now. He’s not protecting me. He’s hurting me. I knew I should’ve tried harder to push him away. Nothing good ever happens when he is around or a part of my life, and this is proof of it.

  “Please, just let me go. Whatever he did to you… I have nothing to do with it.”

  The man closest to me grabs a crystal glass filled with an amber liquid that’s to his left. Every muscle in my body tightens as he brings it to his lips and gulps it down.

  I’m stuck looking between the three men, and my heart feels like it’s going to burst inside my chest at any second.

  The nameless man places his glass on the table and smiles. The look alone makes me want to sink through the floor. I don’t know what Lucca did to these men, but they want to shred me like hungry dogs.

  “We need Lucca to cooperate with us, and he won’t do that if we hurt his little butterfly. So, you be a good girl, Claire, and don’t give us any more of a reason to kill you.”

  My throat tightens. I didn’t give them a reason to do anything. I shouldn’t even be here. Whatever beef they have with Lucca, that’s on him. Somehow, I’ve gotten roped into this, though, and now I’m worried I won’t escape unscathed.

  I look down at my shaking hands.

  He’s always trying to protect me without realizing his protection comes with a cost, and that cost always falls on me. Tears form in my eyes, but I blink them away. I don’t want to cry in front of these men.

  “Don’t cry, princess. Lucca is coming to rescue you…” Igor’s voice is low, and his gaze terrifies me but not as much as what he says next. “The question is will it be soon enough.”

  And that’s the biggest question of all? Will Lucca save me in time?

  8

  Lucca

  I’ve never wanted to kill anyone as much as I want to kill Petro Volocove right now. He fucking took her. He fucking took Claire. They left Steven beaten and Tracy a sobbing mess. I could barely understand her on the phone, she was so distraught.

  Not as distraught as the Volocoves’ are going to be after I’m done with them.

  “Where is she?” I growl at the two guards who open the front door.

  “Mr. Volocove and his guests are waiting for you in the dining room. I’ll take you there,” one of the goons tells me. He leads the way, and I follow impatiently.

  He opens a large double door, and the spacious dining room comes into view. The moment my eyes fall onto the head of bright red hair, I shove the guard out of my way and storm into the room.

  “You fucking bastard,” I growl, heading straight for Petro, who is sitting at the head of the table. Immediately, more guards appear at my side, and two men from the table stand up with their guns drawn.

  “Please, gentlemen. Let’s have dinner without killing each other.” Petro snickers, and the need to fire a bullet into his skull surges up once more.

  “Yes, let’s be civil, shall we,” the man next to Petro says, and I recognize him as Bruno, Petro’s brother. The third man at the table is Igor Volocove, Petro’s nephew and Lev’s brother.

  Julian recently killed Lev Volocove, which I’m guessing is the whole reason I am here now.

  “Lucca, have a seat.” Petro waves at the chair next to Claire.

  Igor and Bruno sit back down and stash away their guns. Only then do I allow myself to look at Claire. She is staring at the plate in front of her, her shoulders slouched like she is trying to make herself even smaller.

  She doesn’t raise her bowed head, letting a curtain of hair shield her face from me. As I step closer, I notice how her entire body is shaking. I grind my molars together and take the seat next to hers.

  “Claire, look at me,” I whisper. Reaching over to touch her arm, I wrap my fingers around her slender wrist.

  She turns her head, and emerald eyes filled with fear stare back at me. Her lip quivers, and her cheeks are tear-stained, but other than that, she looks okay. There isn’t a scratch on her that I can see, and they better be fucking glad there isn’t.

  “I told you on the phone, no one hurts her as long as you do what we want,” Petro tells me, as if his words mean anything.

  I take Claire’s hand in mine and keep holding it between us. Using my thumb, I rub small circles over her skin, hoping to calm her, at least a bit.

  “She is coming home with me.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not possible. I need her to remain here, to make sure you will continue to cooperate.”

  “I already said I would. I’m not leaving here without her.”

  “She might mean something to you, but you are also loyal to Moretti. Plus, I have to assume you value your life, so I can’t risk you not going through with the plan. She is to remain here until Julian is dead, then she is free to go with you.”

  I want to rip his throat out, drive a knife into his chest and pull out his guts all at once. Unfortunately, I’m wildly outnumbered. There are at least twenty men and only one of me. This is a battle I won’t win.

  There has only been one time in my life I have felt this helpless.

  I stare at my hands, clasped together in my lap. Blood. So much blood. I can still hear her agonized screams, still feel the rage pulsing through my veins, the need to lash out so strong it controlled every thought and action. All I could think was to remove the problem, to hurt the person hurting her. I didn’t stop. Couldn’t. He deserved it. And even if she hates me for killing her father, I did what was right.

  Looking up, I peer around the waiting room, wishing I was back in the operating room with the doctors, making sure they take care of Claire. Instead of sitting in this chair, waiting for a doctor to come to me.

  My leg bounces up and down nervously until I shove out of the chair and march over to the front desk. I had to tell them Claire was my sister when I brought her in, or they wouldn’t have given me any information on her.

  “Can you tell me if there are any updates on my sister?” I grit the words out as slowly as I can. I don’t want to cause a ruckus, but I need some answers before I explode.

  “Claire, right?” she asks like she doesn’t already know.

  “Yes.”

  She makes a couple clicks on her computer and then looks back up at me. “There isn’t anything on my side to share. When the doctor is ready, he will come out and see you.”

  I slam a fist against the counter, causing the woman to jump in her seat. “I want answers now. Is she okay?” I force myself to calm because if I don’t, I may rip this entire hospital apart piece by piece.

  “I’ll… I’ll call back to surgery and ask…” The woman squeaks. I nod and drag myself back to the chair, slamming down into it.

  I take my head into my hands. All I can think about is how she’s just a fucking kid, and now she has no one. I mean, she had shit before, but now she’s truly all alone. I knew the moment I brought her to the hospital, I would be the one to step up and ensure they took care of her. Still, the mob isn’t any place for a child, and I’m not sure I’d be any better of a parent to her.

  The thought of letting her go kills me, though.

  “Mr. Torres,” someone greets, and I lift my head to find a doctor in a white coat standing in front of me.

  I must’ve been so lost in thought that I didn’t hear him approach.

  “Yes, that’s me.” My voice cracks. “Is she okay?” The beat of my heart drums in my ears, and my lungs burn as I hold my breath while awaiting his answer.

  “The surgery went well. There was a small amount of internal bleeding that we stopped. Her right arm is broken. However, we set it, so that’s good to go.
Our primary concern is the damage sustained to her eardrum.”

  Panic claws at my insides. “What happened?” I barely withhold the growl threatening to pierce the air.

  The doctor raises his hand in an I’m-not-the-enemy-here kind of way. “She suffered extensive damage to her inner ear. We fixed it as best as we could, but realistically, only time will tell if she’ll make a full recovery—”

  I shove from the chair, all the emotions I’ve been keeping at bay rushing to the surface. “What are you saying? There’s a chance she won’t recover?”

  “What I’m saying is that her eardrum might never heal, or it might not heal right. That means when she wakes up, she might be deaf or partially deaf. We won’t know until she is fully awake and can tell us.”

  Deaf? She might be deaf? I could handle that. Handle anything as long as she isn’t dead.

  “When can I see her?” I squeeze the arm of the chair to keep myself in place.

  “In just a few minutes. The nurses are setting her up in a room right now and once they’re finished, I’ll have them come out and get you.” He smiles, but I can’t bring myself to return the gesture. I’m thankful that Claire is okay, but I know she’s got a long road ahead of her.

  “Thanks, doc.”

  “You’re welcome.” He walks back through the double doors and disappears into the E.R. leaving me alone with my thoughts once more.

  All that matters is that she is okay. That she won’t have to return to that house or her father hurt her ever again.

  Thirty minutes and three coffees later, a nurse finally comes to get me. I feel sick to my stomach when I enter the room and find Claire lying there, hooked up to a bunch of machines with an IV protruding from her arm.

  Her skin is ashen, in the unbruised spots, and she looks like a fallen angel. Battered and broken. I vow then, in that single moment, to never let something like this happen to her again, not as long as there’s air in my lungs and blood pumping through my body.

  Moving closer to the bed, I spot her tiny hand cradled near her cheek. I want to reach out and take it into mine, to let her know she isn’t alone. Dragging my gaze from her hand, I return to her face and find her eyes open.