Her Heartless King (Sold to the Mafia Boss Book 2), page 1
Her Heartless King
Ella Jade
Her Heartless King© 2022 Ella Jade
Editor: Zero Alchemy
Cover Designer: Dark City Designs
Photographer: Eric Battershell
Cover Model: Johnny Kane
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Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
His Broken Queen
About the Author
Chapter 1
Luciana
“Now you are my prisoner, my little butterfly.”
Romero’s words played in my mind like a horrible nightmare that I couldn’t wake up from. They were the last words I heard before I drifted off into a fitful night of sleep, and the first account I woke up to in the morning. A constant reminder that there was no escaping him. No running from this life.
I hadn’t seen him in two days. Not since the night he confronted me and told me he knew I was a traitor. He left the house and hadn’t returned. I didn’t dare try to leave. There were too many guards surrounding the property. Even if I did manage to escape, where would I go?
If I went back to my family, I’d have to tell them I failed at this mission and Romero knew what I was up to. If I did that, my husband would make good on his promise and kill one of them. No matter how awful my uncle was, I wouldn’t have his blood or any others on my hands. I wasn’t like any of them. I would never understand how this life could intrigue them or why they would choose to be the way they were.
They may own me but I would try to control what I could. I had to hold out hope there was a way to get myself out of this mess. For now, I’d bide my time and do what my husband told me to do. Being stuck between the man I was forced to marry, and the people I reluctantly called my family wasn’t the best position to be in, but I would find my way out.
“Lu,” a calming voice said from behind me.
I was aware that Gio had been in the house these past two days, but he had left me alone until now. His presence was strangely comforting even if he didn’t interact with me. I set the book I wasn’t really reading on the coffee table and turned to face him as he entered the sunroom.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“I wanted to check in with you.” He sat next to me. “You’ve been scarce these last couple days.”
“I’m staying out of your way.” I glanced out at the backyard as one of the men were doing a perimeter check. “I’m sure you’re as upset with me as your brother is.”
“He might have more of a reason to be upset with you, but I will say I was surprised when I discovered what you were doing.”
“I didn’t ask for any of this.” I leaned my head against the back of the sofa, fighting off the physical and emotional exhaustion that had plagued me since I moved into this house “I never wanted to hurt him. I didn’t want to be caught in the middle. I was trapped.”
“I’ll always have my brother’s back, but I can understand where you’re coming from.”
“You can?”
“Your family put you in a difficult position. I get that you couldn’t say no.” He reached for my hand. “But you came after Romero and you put us in danger. It’s going to take him a lot longer to forgive you.”
“I didn’t know how to stop it.”
“You could have told him.”
“Would he have reacted any better if I had told him sooner?”
He ran his thumb along the bruises on my wrist, and then glanced at my neck. Romero’s firm grip had left marks on my flesh.
“His anger gets the best of him,” he said.
“I’m fine.” I pulled my hand away and tugged on my sleeve to cover my wrist. “Things got heated between us. I hurt him and he didn’t know how to handle that. He reacted the way you would have expected him to.”
“He doesn’t want to be abusive.”
“Like your father?”
“He told you about that?” Gio seemed surprised. “He doesn’t like to talk about that. If he opened up to you about our parents, he must really like you.”
“That was before.” We connected on a level I never thought possible. If we had come together under different circumstances, we might have worked, but there was no reason to think about a future with Romero. I was in survival mode now.
“If he put his hands on you in anger he felt desperate, like he was backed into a corner. I’m not excusing his behavior, but when he found out about your deception, he snapped.”
“There’s no doubt in my mind he wanted to kill me.” The murderous look in Romero’s eyes when he told me he knew I had deceived him was something I would never forget. Why didn’t he kill me? I didn’t think I’d ever understand his reason for sparing me.
“I’m glad he didn’t kill you.”
“So am I, but that’s probably not off the table for him.” This screwed up life of mine got crazier by the day. “He hasn’t been home since he found out. I don’t know what it will be like when he does come back. What if we can’t live together.”
“If he wanted you gone, you would be already. You’re going to have to give him time. It’s going to take a while for you to earn back his trust.”
“Do you think that’s even possible?”
“It’ll be a hard sell. I mean, no one has ever done it, but I have a feeling you might be able to.”
Did I want to?
“As twisted as your relationship seems now, my brother cares about you. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have cared that you were here to help your family. If he wasn’t hurt by your betrayal, he would have killed you. I’ve seen him kill for less.”
“Should I be flattered?”
“Was it all an act for you?” Gio asked. “Was any part of your marriage real?”
“Yes.” That was what made this all so difficult. “More than I ever thought possible. I didn’t want to marry him, but when I did something changed. As brutal and terrifying as he is, I saw another side of him. One that I fell for. One that I wanted to protect, but I didn’t know how.”
“Maybe you should tell him that.”
“Why are you rooting for me?”
“As vicious as you think my brother is, you should have seen him before he married you.”
“He was worse?” That was troubling.
“You’re changing him, Lu,” Gio said. “I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. It’s probably bad for business, but he’s needed you in his life for a long time.”
“It’s too late now.” I fought back the tears that needed to wait until I was alone. “Whatever we were building is ruined. My family made sure of that. When they promised me to Romero, they knew we could never make it. I’ve always been expendable to them.”
“You can still salvage this.”
“How?”
“Do what Romero asks of you.”
“Go against my family?”
“You just said you don’t mean anything to them. Turn the tables on them. Make them pay for how they treated you, and in the process, you’ll gain Romero’s trust. It will take time but it can be done.”
“What if I don’t want any of this?”
“Are you saying my brother isn’t worth the fight?”
“I’m saying even if I do what he asks of me, what guarantee do I have that he’ll want anything to do with me after? Once I betray my family, I’ll never be able to go back to them.” That wasn’t such a bad thing, if they didn’t kill me. “If Romero can’t forgive me, what then?”
“You don’t have the luxury of controlling any of this. You were put in a shitty situation, but I can promise you, Romero is a way out. Take it.”
“By doing exactly what he says even if it could get me killed.”
“You’re safer with him than you could ever be anywhere else. Despite what he says, he’ll protect you. I know my brother. I know what he’s capable of and what he isn’t.”
My body tensed when the front door opened and then slammed shut. I hopped to my feet, deciding if I had time to make it to the back staircase in the kitchen and upstairs before Romero spotted me.
“Don’t run away,” Gio said. “Face him, stand up to him, and earn his respect.”
“I can’t.”
Romero's fast foot steps pounded against the hardwood floor, getting closer with each frantic breath I drew. What if he had changed his mind and decided to come back here and end my life? I headed toward the kitchen, but it was too late.
“Don’t leave on my account.” Romero leaned against the archway of the sunroom. “Not when we have so much to discuss.”
“Where have you been?” I asked.
“Were you worried about me? Afraid one of your family members took me out?” He smiled at Gio. “You wouldn’t let that happen, would you?”
“You know I wouldn’t,” Gio responded.
“That’s because you’re loyal and always have my back,” Romero said. “I can’t say that about everyone around here.”
Obviously, he was still upset about what my family forced me to do. There was no use in defending myself or apologizing. He wasn’t in a forgiving mood and I didn’t have any excuses. I did what I did and now I had to pay the price.
“Why don’t we go to your study and discuss some things?” Gio pointed to the hallway. “I have a few papers that need signing.”
“Not now.” The emotionless void in Romero’s eyes worried me. “I want to be alone with my wife.”
Please don’t leave me, Gio.
Chapter 2
Romero
Gio shook his head in disapproval, but honored my request and left me alone with Luciana. She turned away from me and gazed out at the backyard. She rocked back and forth, and fidgeted with her hands. At least she was smart enough to be afraid of me after what she had done.
After almost strangling her the other night, I realized I needed to put some space between us. My goal was not to kill her. I just wanted to make her understand that no one betrayed me. I needed to leave and calm down, so I went to my penthouse and thought this whole situation through. I couldn’t say that I resolved anything in my mind, but I couldn’t stay away forever.
When I stood behind her, she straightened her posture and her body stiffened. I clenched my fist at my side. Why does it bother me that she is so uncomfortable around me? I’ve seen her with Gio, and Jag, and the other guys around the house. She didn’t shy away from them. She was kind and polite to them. They made her laugh. I could be harsh and mean. We got off on the wrong foot, but we were communicating and working through that, and then… fuck! Every time I thought about her deception, I filled with rage. I could never be the man she needed if every other thought in my head made me want to kill her.
“What have you been up to while I was gone?” I stepped closer to her, placing my hands on her arms. “Behaving?”
“I haven’t spoken to anyone in my family since you left.”
“Good.”
“You didn’t tell me where you went.”
“I don’t answer to you.” I squeezed her arms. “It’s the other way around.”
“Why am I here?”
“You know why.”
I spun her to face me, hoping to get a glimpse of her beautiful eyes, but as I expected, she dropped her gaze. When I saw the bruises on her neck, I silently cursed myself for losing it the way I had. No matter how much she deserved my anger, I shouldn’t have put my hands on her. I tried hard to push back the beast but I failed. My father would be proud.
“You’re going to help me get the revenge I seek on your family.”
“Revenge for sending me here and spying on you?”
“As much as I’d like for them to know I caught you and I’m making you pay, that’s not the only act I need to avenge.”
“I don’t want to be caught in the middle of this.” She tried to wiggle out of my hold, but I wrapped my hand around her waist and tugged her to me.
“Do you want to know why your family wanted the location of my safe house?”
When our eyes connected, hers widened.
“That’s right, I know all of your transgressions. Every detail you relayed about my personal business is all up here.” I tapped my forehead. “A constant reminder of who I married.”
She looked away from me again.
“Your uncle wanted the location of my safe house because someone in your family killed a loyal employee of mine to send a message. They dumped his badly mangled body on the back porch to show me they could get to me at any given moment. Now that house is useless to me.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“His name was Arturo.” I pulled her against me, trying to get her to look up, but she didn’t oblige. “He had a seven year old daughter and he adored his mother. Do you know the work the undertaker had to perform just so that his mother could say goodbye?”
She shook her head.
“After they killed him, they must have put him in water for a few days. I don’t have all the details, but do you have any idea what happens to your body after you’ve been soaking in water for days? How horrible it is? We could Google it and get some perspective.”
“Please stop it.”
“Why? You don’t like that after all Arturo had gone through, you’re responsible for giving them a location for dumping his body? You helped them with the lack of respect they showed him.”
“I didn’t know why they wanted the address.”
“What they did to my guy will not go unanswered.”
“I don’t want to be part of anymore death or violence.”
“Do you think you have a choice?” I laughed before pushing her over to the sofa and making her sit. “I should kill one of your cousins in retaliation. That would certainly throw your uncle off balance and leave his territory ripe for the taking.”
“No.” She raised her voice. “You said if I did what you wanted you wouldn’t hurt any of them.”
I couldn’t kill any of the Torrios without permission from the higher families. If I did, it would cause an all-out war. One that I wasn’t prepared for. Luciania didn’t need to know that. For now, I would use the threat of killing her family as leverage. Was that wrong? Absolutely. But what she had done to me was much worse.
“As long as you know your role.” I sat down next to her. “I have your first assignment.”
I couldn’t start a war over Arturo, but if I was patient, the Torrios would get what they deserved. I would make sure of that. I’d bring them all down and make Luciana watch.
“I’ll have something for you to give your family soon.” I traced my finger along her jaw. “All you have to do is feed it to them.”
“Please, Romero.” She twisted her body toward me. “Can’t you forget this feud and walk away?”
“No.” I ran my thumb along her trembling bottom lip. “Where would the fun in that be?” I inched closer to her, cornering her between me and the arm of the sofa. “You want me to forgive you, don’t you?”
She didn’t say anything when I swiped my lips along hers.
“The only way that can happen is if you do what I say.”
“You’re never going to forgive me.”
“Never is such a long time.” I dropped my hand between her legs and grabbed her pussy. I couldn’t kill her, but I could make her suffer in other ways.
She sucked in a breath when I moved my hand over her pants.
“Are you wet for me?” With my free hand, I yanked her hair, pressing her lips to mine and kissing her hard on the mouth. She gasped when I released her. “It’s been a few days since I fucked you.”
She squeezed her legs shut.
“You don’t want me to touch you?” I removed my hand and undid my belt. “Then you can touch me.” I unbuttoned my pants and lowered my zipper. “You need to learn your place. There is no reason why I should suffer for your indiscretions. You’re my wife and you will act like it.”
