Dom's Ascension (Mariani Crime Family Book 1) Read online

  He laughed.

  I couldn’t remember the last time I’d joked with Michael. It felt good. Maybe I should steal a few bottles of whatever they were giving him so I could dope him up the next time he turned into an asshole.

  When his laughter died, silence stretched between us once more. I waited, trying to build up the courage to say what I needed to say, but before I could, Michael spoke.

  “I’ll help you, Dom. I can’t walk, but I’m still me. I’ve been training for this shit my entire life, and I know what the hell I’m doing. You’ll need me.”

  Relieved, I let out a deep breath. “Thanks, man.”

  “I mean sure, you’ve got the legs, but I’m the brains. You’d be screwed without me.”

  A smile tugged at my lips. “Want me to break your arms too?”

  Ignoring me, he continued. “You’ll also have Uncle Carlo, the cousins, second cousins, third cousins, Mamma, hell, you could even call Bri.”

  “You think I’ll need that much help, huh?”

  “Abso-fuckin’-lutely.”

  I chuckled. “Thanks Mike. By the way, I don’t know what they’ve got you on, but you’re obviously high.”

  “Hmm?” he asked.

  “You didn’t nail Adamo between the eyes. You got him in the right cheek. You’re lucky you were on the ground and the bullet angled up through his brain, otherwise he would have gotten away.”

  “Bullshit. I didn’t shoot him in the cheek.”

  “You did too.”

  “Prove it. Show me a picture.”

  “Do I look like a goddamn photographer? Even if I was, I sure as hell wouldn’t be taking photos of Adamo’s ugly ass!”

  “Don’t act like you’ve never taken a picture of a corpse before.”

  Shaking my head at the memory of when we’d been young, dumb, and daring, I said, “That was different. I was ten, there was a reward, and you dared me to break into that morgue. Never again.”

  “Chicken shit.” Michael coughed around the word.

  “You’re such an ass,” I said.

  “Yeah, but you’re glad I’m not dead.”

  He had me there. I nodded. “Thanks for not dying, Mike.”

  “No fuckin’ Pelino can knock off a Mariani. Carlo told me Father finally took down Maurizio.”

  I chuckled. Like a goddamn coward, Maurizio had popped our old man in the back. Then the son-of-bitch was stupid enough to walk up on Father, and gloat over his corpse. It was the last mistake the Durante capo would ever make.

  “What’s that thing the old man always said when we were training?” Michael asked.

  “Two in the head, make sure he’s dead.”

  “Yeah. Bet Maurizio’s wishin’ someone would have told him that right about now. Two in the head, bastard, make sure he’s dead. Fuckin’ sloppy. I don’t know how the hell he took Vegas in the first place.”

  I thought Maurizio was more cocky than sloppy, but was just glad to be rid of the lunatic.

  “How’s Annetta doing? I still can’t believe she shot Adamo’s soldier.”

  “Better. She’s tough, Mike. And a damn good shot, too. I took her to the range a couple days after it happened. That helped. Also, we got an alarm installed on the house. Not some cheap piece of shit, either. You wouldn’t believe how high tech some of these security systems are getting. I’m thinking we should look into it for the family.”

  He nodded. “You ever find that bitch who called her and told her you were sleepin’ around?

  “Nope.” And I was frustrated as hell about it. “I tracked the desk clerk to his apartment, but someone had slit his throat and left him to rot. Carlo pulled some strings at the telephone company, but the number came from a payphone downtown.”

  “Whoever it was, you’ll get ’em, Dom,” He said.

  Before I could tell him I wasn’t so sure, he started talking about another crazy thing we did as kids.

  Thankful for the painkillers that had brought my brother back—if only for a while—I stayed at Michael’s bedside, swapping memories until he drifted off to sleep.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Annetta

  IT WAS ALMOST ten p.m. by the time Dominico stumbled through the front door of our house. Knowing exactly what he’d need after the day he’d had, I tugged off my robe, revealing sexy babydoll lingerie, and waited for him in the living room.

  Dom entered with his head down, like he bore the weight of the world on his shoulders. Without seeing me, he removed his suit jacket and tossed it over the back of the sofa.

  “Rough day?” I asked, flicking on the fireplace.

  When his gaze found me, his jaw dropped. “Damn,” he said.

  The way he still looked at me—a mix of love and hunger, almost like he wanted to eat me up—made my skin tingle and my heart race. I’d been stupid to believe that Tiffany bitch, and if I ever found her, I’d rip every single strand of her hair out. This thing between me and Dominico… nobody would interfere with.

  “You look incredible.” Dom closed the distance between us, wrapping his arms around me.

  I slid my hands between our chests and started unbuttoning his shirt.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  Once his shirt was open, I undid his cufflinks, tugged his shirt off, and tossed it on the coffee table. “You look warm, so I’m helping you cool down.”

  He chuckled. “I’m pretty sure you’re heating me up.”

  I smiled innocently. “It’s practically the same thing.”

  He kicked off his shoes. I unbuttoned his pants and slid them over his already growing cock. Then I dropped to my knees, pulled down his boxers, and shoved him in my mouth.

  Dominico gasped.

  Since he wasn’t fully hard, I took him all in, tickling the back of my throat with this throbbing head until he was fully erect. Then I slid my mouth up and down his shaft and played with his balls for a while, thoroughly enjoying myself. Although I was having fun, my man needed more, to let off some steam, so I placed his hands on the back of my head and encouraged him to let loose. Understanding what I wanted him to do, Dominico gripped by head and began fucking my mouth. Opening wider, I grabbed his ass and held on.

  “Fuck,” he hissed.

  I nodded. Yep, that’s what I wanted him to do.

  The next time he plunged his dick into my mouth, I started humming.

  Moaning, he threw back his head and closed his eyes.

  I kept humming until hot come hit the back of my throat. Then I licked him clean and sat him on the sofa, straddling him.

  “You sure know how to welcome a guy home,” he said with a grin.

  “Not just any guy,” I replied. “My capo.”

  He studied me, brushing my hair back. “And you’re all right with this?”

  “Honestly, I wish you didn’t have to do it,” I replied. “But we’re a part of this family, and there is no getting out. Somebody has to lead us. Who better than you?”

  My question seemed to catch him off guard. He had to think about it for a moment before announcing, “Carlo.”

  I shook my head. “Not a Mariani. Besides, I don’t trust him. Something about Carlo is… off.”

  “Gus.”

  “Too old.”

  “Luca.”

  I leveled a stare at him. “Are you even being serious right now?”

  “What’s wrong with Luca?”

  “You said yourself he was lazy.”

  He kept watching me. “You really think I can do this?”

  Nodding, I replied, “You have to.”

  “I know. I just… This could put you and Angel in greater danger. I can’t do that.”

  “Then don’t,” I said, kissing his neck.

  “You make it sound so easy.”

  “That day your mother took me out, she told me that the family would be the safest when it controlled Vegas. When we reach the top, it will be harder for the other families to reach us. I didn’t fully understand what she was saying then,
but now I do. With the Durantes and the Pelinos out of the picture, you can take this city and control it. You’re a natural protector, Dom. This is your chance to build an empire that will keep us all safe. You can create balance and establish some level of order among the families. Mamma and I have been talking to the wives of the other families, and—”

  “You have?” he asked. “When did you have time to do that?”

  “When they started calling here after your father died. They’re all sick of the fighting and have convinced their husbands to sit down with you and talk. They want order, Dom. They want peace, so they can go about their business and make money.”

  “You know what this is gonna take, right?” he asked.

  “Yes.” I trailed kisses across his pecks. “You’ll have to lead with an iron fist. Not like your father, but like… I don’t know. Some badass capo who doesn’t take shit from anyone.”

  He chuckled. “I’m already a badass capo who doesn’t take shit from anyone.”

  “Oh yeah?” I asked, sliding his cock up between my legs to rub it against my clit. “Prove it.”

  “Careful with that,” he warned. “You might start something you can’t finish.”

  “The doctor cleared me during my appointment yesterday,” I said, still playing with his cock.

  “What?! And you didn’t tell me?”

  I rocked my hips back and forth. “You should have come home before midnight.”

  That dangerous, enticing glint I loved so much was back in his eyes. “What are you clear to do?” He nuzzled my neck and slipped the straps of lingerie over my shoulders to expose my breasts. “Anything? Everything?”

  I arched my back until my nipples rubbed against his bare chest, enjoying the contact. “Anything and everything.”

  “I love you so damn much.” He slid his cock inside me with a moan. “And I missed the fuck outta this pussy.”

  Turned out, it had missed him too. Being on his lap put me a little over eye level with Dom. Gripping his shoulders for support, I slid up and down his cock, taking him deeper and deeper inside me while our tongues danced. He let me ride him for a while before bending me over the arm of the sofa and taking me from behind. While he reached around to finger my clit, his left hand slapped my ass, intensifying the pleasure.

  “Am I enough of a badass for you now?” he asked.

  “I don’t know, do it again.”

  He laughed and spanked me again before he turned me around, propping my ass on the arm of the sofa. He lifted my legs in the air, holding me by the ankles as he plunged into me again. It felt so good I wanted to lie back and close my eyes, but Dominico made me look at him until we both came.

  Afterward, he carried me to bed and climbed in beside me.

  “I love you,” he said, his gaze heavy with lust and love.

  “I know.” I kissed his lips and scooted closer to him. “I love you too.”

  In the silence that stretched between us, I could almost hear him thinking. And then, just as I was beginning to drift to sleep, he spoke.

  “Schedule the meeting with the other families.” Brushing my hair back with his fingers, he kissed my forehead. “We’re gonna build an empire, Net.”

  Copyright © 2017 by Harley Stone

  All rights reserved.

  Published in the United States

  ONE

  Angel

  THE DAY BEFORE Halloween I paced my office, trying to figure out how to make a better bomb. I needed to widen the radius of its electromagnetic pulse blast without increasing its pocket-sized dimensions. I palmed the device, once again working through the equation in my head. I had to be missing something.

  A figure darkened my doorway. “Angel, we’re gonna be late,” Bones nagged.

  My best friend, bodyguard, and schedule keeper stood just under six feet tall, inches shorter than me, but with a build that dissuaded muggers and a scowl that forced hardened criminals to drop their gaze and haul ass to the other side of the street. Smartly dressed in a suit that screamed “funeral director” or some other occupation paid to put people six feet under, his real name was Franco Leone, but I’d nicknamed him Bones in fourth grade when he shattered the wrist of an aspiring bully who’d shoved me against my locker. The nickname stuck, and so did our friendship. Nobody had ever had my back like Bones.

  “I know. I know. One more minute.”

  “The big man’s gonna fuckin’ ice us if we’re late. You know how important this drop is.”

  “The drop’s at three, right?”

  He nodded.

  I glanced at my watch. “Then don’t worry about it. We got plenty of time.” It was too early for rush hour, and little things like traffic weren’t a big deal for my family. Our technical guru had the city wired and controlled the lights from the comfort of his hidden lair.

  “Plenty of time? Aren’t you forgetting something?” Bones gestured toward my body.

  I followed his gaze and swore. T-shirt, jeans, sneakers; I needed to change and had forgotten to bring a suit. We’d have to stop by the condo, which would add another twenty minutes to our commute. Dropping the device on my desk, I ran for the exit.

  “Angel.” Bones’s tone held laughter, causing me to stop and look at him. He grinned and whipped out a garment bag he’d been hiding behind his back. “Who the fuck’s got your back?”

  See? That’s why he’s the best. “You’re the shit, Bones,” I said, taking the suit. “Best goddamn butler I ever had.”

  Scowling at the backhanded compliment, he flipped me off.

  I hurried back into my office and changed. Once I’d donned the family-approved wiseguy apparel, Bones and I rode the elevator up to the ground floor, emerging into the busy plastics manufacturing plant that served as a front for my father’s technical (weapons and war gear) development business. None of the legit employees so much as glanced our way as we jogged toward the garage.

  “Keys?” I asked.

  He tossed them to me. “She’s all gassed up.”

  I climbed behind the wheel of my black and silver Hummer H5 with tinted bullet-resistant glass and tires designed to resist deflation when punctured, glancing over my shoulder into the backseat. Blankets hid the machine guns we’d be delivering.

  “Thanks for making the pickup. I’m close to figuring out a way to keep the—”

  “You’re close to making us fuckin’ late, is what you’re close to.” Bones tapped the clock on the dashboard. “Twenty-three minutes. I’m calling Tech.”

  I nodded and slammed the Hummer into reverse. As we pulled away from the building, Bones spoke a code and the dashboard screen came to life. The screen blinked, requiring another password. Bones rattled off a series of numbers and then placed his thumb in the center of the box.

  The face of a man I’d known for years, but had never met in person, appeared. “We’re secure, Bones, how can I help you?” Tech asked. Nobody but my father knew the real name of the head of the technical department. To the rest of us, Tech was the autonomous human version of a digital personal assistant and knowledge navigator.

  “We need a clear route from Plant A to Drop…” Bones pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and scanned it before adding, “Charlie-four-niner-alpha.”

  Everyone who worked for my father spoke in codes that changed frequently, and were issued on an as-needed basis. Bones—for all his strengths—had one weakness… he couldn’t memorize the damn codes. He was one of the few people Father allowed to write them down, and Bones guarded his codes like they were a matter of life and death, which, essentially, they were.

  “Got it,” Tech replied. “I’m sending the navigation now. Everything’s covered.”

  Confident Tech had control of the lights and eyes on the cops, I stomped on the gas and maneuvered through traffic. Lights turned green before we reached them and once we cleared the downtown congestion, the Hummer ate up the distance between us and the little blinking light marking our destination on the screen. We were less t
han a mile from the drop point when Tech’s face reappeared on the screen.

  “You have incoming. Blue. Next light,” he said, before disappearing.

  Startled, I took my foot off the gas and hit the brakes.

  Too late. A siren blared to life, and I’d only slowed to eighty in the sixty-mile-per-hour zone.

  “What the fuck, Tech?” Bones shouted. “You said we were clear.”

  The screen stayed blank, but Tech’s voice came over the speakers. “You’re supposed to be. He’s off route. I’m calling it in.”

  “What do I do?” I wondered out loud. It had been years since I’d been stopped by a cop. The family shelled out millions to make sure we stayed well under their radar.

  “Just keep driving,” Bones said.

  “And go where?” We couldn’t lead him to the drop point. We could try to lose him, but if we engaged in a high-speed chase that ended badly, the pigs would search my ride, confiscate the goods, and with what we had in the back, we’d rot in the can. Father could only cover up so much, and there wasn’t a rug big enough to hide a million dollars worth of modified illegal guns.

  “I gotta pull over. Maybe I can reason with him.”

  “What? No! That’s a shitty idea,” Bones objected.

  “I’m working with my contacts at the station, but a team has been routed to your location just in case. Be careful, Angel,” Tech said.

  I slowed the vehicle and veered to the outside lane, rolling to a stop just beyond an on-ramp. Bones reached for the gun in his jacket pocket. I also had a gun in my jacket and another under my seat, but didn’t reach for either since I had no intention of using them.

  “This is a cop. He’s just doing his job,” I said, eyeing Bones’s pocket.

  Bones stiffened. “And I’m doing mine. Trade me seats.”

  “No. I can handle this without violence.”

  I looked into my rearview mirror, watching as the cop sat in his cruiser, radio in hand.

  “He’s calling it in,” Bones said.

  Tech’s face materialized on the screen again. “You may have a problem, Angel. The officer has been ordered to return to the station, but refuses.”