Protect Me: A Mafia Romance (The Rossi Crime Family Book 1)

  ©Copyright, 2019 J.L. Beck & Cassandra Hallman

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  Editing by: Word Nerd Editing

  Cover Design by: Leah Holt

  Other Books In The Mafia Crime Romance Series

  Convict Me: FREE

  Protect Me: Coming March 1st [[GET YOUR COPY HERE]]

  `Keep Me: Coming April 1s [[PREORDER NOW]]

  Guard Me: Coming May 1st

  Tame Me: Coming June 1st

  Find more works by C. Hallman & J.L. Beck using the links below:

  C. Hallman Books on Amazon

  J.L. Beck Books on Amazon

  WAIT!!! Before you start reading did you know you get the first book in this series for FREE? Yes, you read that right, FREE!

  Click on the image below to get your FREE copy! No it doesn’t need to be read in conjuction with this one but who doesn’t love free books?

  She needed protection from my family…

  I needed protection from her heart…

  She was my ex-best friends little sister. Shy, gorgeous as hell and did I mention completely off limits.

  Well that is until she lands on my doorstep begging me for protection from my brother. She has no idea the kind of world she’s walked into, or that I’m no better of a man then the one searching for her.

  But when she offers me her v-card the last thing she has in exchange for protection I cant deny such a tempting offer.

  She’s everything I want, and nothing I can have.

  When my brother finds out she’s under my protection, that I've been hiding her under his nose this whole time he gives me an ultimatum…

  Marry her, or kill her…and since there’s no way in hell I’m going to let him kill her I decide to make her mine…forever.

  This is book two in the series but it can be read as a complete standalone. It contains NO-CLIFFHANGERS, NO CHEATING, and has a HEA. It is a dark mafia/crime romance and contains subject matter not suitable for all readers.

  Chapter 1

  Keira

  I stare at my brother's lifeless body on the floor of my apartment. I know what I need to do next, but I can’t move. My feet remain cemented to the floor, my brown eyes moving over the scene before me. There is blood…so much blood.

  I bite into my bottom lip hard—hard enough to draw my own blood. I won’t scream. I can’t. Leo told me if someone ever came for him, I was to go to a man, one of his friends, and he would protect me, but I can’t remember his name.

  My stomach rolls, bile rising into my throat. I place a hand over my mouth to stop the impending vomit.

  My brother is dead.

  My chest tightens; my hands fist at my sides. My brother is dead. Actually dead. We joked about this moment many, many times, but looking down at his lifeless body, his vacant stare, I know this isn’t a joke.

  Start moving, a little voice inside my head says.

  I look at the message the bastards left on my fridge. The sticky note shakes in my hands as I read the words over and over.

  I’ll be back for you.

  I shiver involuntarily. I need to find the man my brother wanted me to go to. I have a feeling he’s the only one who can protect me now.

  With unsteady hands, I pull my phone out and go to my emergency information. I created a small doc simply for this very thing. Leo had only given me a name and address, saying it would be enough.

  But how can I show up on someone's doorstep with this kind of thing? Leo said the person would understand—they’d know why I was there—but I didn’t believe that…not one bit. Too afraid to go into my bedroom or even stand inside the kitchen another minute, I walk out the door, closing it quietly behind me.

  Tears fall from my eyes, staining my cheeks. I have never felt so much pain and confusion all at once. My lungs seem to deflate, refusing to fill no matter how many breaths I take.

  I make it two steps down the stairs when I hear voices coming from the level below me. I spot two guys talking, both with accents—Russian maybe. I’m not concerned until the words meet my ears.

  “The boss said he wants the sister for himself, so don’t fuck her up too bad.” The men are big and burly, way bigger than me, and definitely stronger. If they get their hands on me, I’m as good as gone.

  Move, Kiera! My brother's voice fills my head as I try to stop the tensing of my muscles. I have to get out of here. If they catch me…I shove the thought away before it takes root.

  As soft as my feet allow, I tiptoe backward, away from the staircase. I slip my shoes off and start walking up the stairs in my socks. Staying close to the outside, I make sure they can’t see me if they decide to look up through the middle of the stairs.

  With my lip caught between my teeth, I hold in the scream that wants to rip from my throat. Fear consumes me, my muscles remain rigid, but I continue onward. I walk all the way to the top floor and take the emergency stairwell down.

  I’ll be safe, hidden from their gazes—a secret passing through. My entire body shakes as I take the steps two at a time, my eyes passing over my shoulder every few seconds, causing me to trip. Landing against the railing, it digs into my ribs. I need to pay better attention or I'm going to get caught.

  I sigh in relief when I make it down the stairs. I am only in my first year of college. I’m supposed to be partying, hanging out with other people my age, not discovering my dead brother's body, or running away from two monsters who want to drag me back to their boss. The image of being attacked by one of them flickers in my mind.

  No. I will myself to calm down. I’m right there, hanging on the very edge of losing control. I want to cry, scream, yell, but I know none of those things will happen. Pushing through the back doors of the apartment complex, I run down the street, my backpack still resting heavily against my back.

  I sprint down the street and hide behind a group of trees before I decide to stop and catch my breath. My little legs do nothing to help me when it comes to running. I pull out my cell phone and enter the address into the map.

  A little icon pops up on the screen, confirming it works. I sag against the tree, waiting for it to load.

  Would they track my phone? Who are they to my brother? Dozens of questions rattle off inside my head. I didn’t even say goodbye to him. My gaze drops down to my phone. The map finally loaded.

  Fear pumps through my veins. Hopefully, whoever I’m going to see will know more than I do. Otherwise, I’m screwed.

  The idea of being caught by those sinister men makes me move faster. My map pinpoints the location to somewhere called Night Shift.

  After walking for what seems like forever, I arrive at the building, my eyes gliding over it. I clench my jaw in anger.

  It’s a strip club.

  There’s a sign plastered to the front window.

  NOW HIRING: BEST STRIPPERS IN THE AREA.

  My mouth goes dry. Why did my brother send me to a strip club? This has be some kind of sick joke…a chance for him to get back at me after death? Shivering, I grow afraid of the idea of going inside. Who am I asking for, and what if they tell me to leave? I wrap my arms around myself as a cold breeze blows throu
gh me.

  Go inside, the same voice from earlier demands. I know I’m slightly unhinged, even more so because I’m hearing things inside my head, but it’s my body’s warning—my body’s way of making me do something I don’t want to because I’m too scared.

  Dragging my feet across the concrete, I grip the metal door, the cold of it making all the warmth inside me dissipate.

  I open the first door, and then a second, my feet moving on their own. I’m shaking like a damn leaf in the wind. I want to rewind time and go back to this morning when my brother was alive and joking with me.

  When my feet stop moving, I realize I am at the bar. The inside isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. There is a huge stage with a large seating area centered around it on the far side of the room, and a long hallway off to the left.

  “If you’re looking for the boss, he’s in his office.”

  I lick my lips nervously, swallowing some of the fear down.

  “Which way?” I barely get the words out. The women in front of me eyes me curiously, her hazel eyes piercing mine. She looks to be ten years older than me, her face all dolled up with makeup. Her curvy body with hardly any clothing on it. Her breasts all but falling out of her top, and the shirt—if you could even call it one—only covers half her stomach.

  If she wore a bathing suit, it would have covered more skin.

  “Down the hall that way.” She hooks a thumb in the direction of the hallway off to the left. “Follow it until the very end and turn left. You’ll see a big man standing outside his office, that’s how you’ll know you made it.” The mystery woman smiles warmly.

  My legs quiver as I head off, fear of the unknown slithering up my spine. I don’t know what I’m walking into. From the looks of the place, women are nothing more than objects, and I don’t want to be an object, not for anyone. I don’t even want to be looked at, let alone touched.

  Again, I question why my brother sent me here.

  Walking down the dimly lit hall, I pass numerous wooden doors. A couple moans and screams have me scurrying faster, my feet slipping all over the floor. When I make it to the end of the hall, I turn left and stop. There’s a door directly in front of me, but no man standing outside it.

  Am I in the right spot?

  I trace the engraved letters on the door.

  DAMON ROSSI.

  I blink slowly. Below his name is one single word:

  BOSS.

  My stomach churns, and I press my hand against the door more firmly to hold myself up. I’m going to pass out. I know it. Today has pushed me beyond my limits. I’m scared out of my mind and have nowhere else to go. I guess I could go back home and be killed—or worse, caught by those bastards. Or…I could get my shit together, walk inside the office, and find out who Damon Rossi is to my brother. Taking a calming breath, I grab the brass knob and turn it slowly, then hold my breath as I push the door open. A low creaking sound emits from the damn thing. I exhale a moment later and poke my head inside.

  I can’t help but feel like a rabbit caught in a snare. Like something bad is about to happen.

  My heart is racing, and my palms are sweaty. It’s like I’m an intruder, but I force myself to stay put. My brother wouldn’t have sent me here if he didn’t think I’d be safe, right? The fact that I need to find out who Damon is pushes me onward. I let my backpack slide off my shoulder, and deposit it onto the chair in front of the desk.

  My fingers trail against the mahogany wood, and I walk around the room. There’s a manliness about this place.

  It’s dark and sinister, and smells of tobacco and whiskey. Files lay on his desk with girls’ names written on the front of each folder. I open one out of pure curiosity, and gasp, closing it quickly when I see the picture of a naked woman in a very provocative position.

  My gaze drops to a drawer under the desk. I know I shouldn’t be snooping, and I don’t really know what I’m looking for, but I feel the need to search...for something...anything. I reach for the handle, but when I try to pull it open, I realize it’s locked.

  Looking around the room in disappointment, I realize there’s nothing else for me to find in here. Walking back around the desk, I’m about to sit down on the couch when I feel the air shift around me.

  A warmth fills the air...light mixed with dark.

  My heart beats a million miles per minute, and the hair on the back my neck stands up. I’ve escaped one monster only to be trapped by another.

  I’m frozen, too terrified to move, when I hear someone behind me. I suck in a sharp breath. It hurts my lungs, but helps build the shrill scream about to leave my throat. I feel hands on me, and they’re those of a man. The roughness of his touch is unforgiving—as if he’s angry and wants to punish me.

  Before my scream can make an appearance, I’m pushed face-first onto the couch. I’m in full-on panic mode now. I try to get up, but he leans his large body into mine, making it impossible for me to move. His grip is relentless, and when I feel something hard pressing against my ass, I gasp.

  No. No. No.

  “Usually, I don’t fuck women in here, but since you seem so interested in my office, I suppose I should give you the grand tour while you ride my cock.”

  My eyes squeeze shut, and my body freezes. My brother sent me to be raped. Tears prick my eyes. My yoga pants are ripped down my legs, and I start to shake while sinking deeper into the cushion. I want the moment to be over. I bite the inside of my cheeks. The copper taste of blood fills my mouth, and I focus on the bitterness of it.

  “If you want the job you, can’t be so tense. No one wants to fuck a piece of board,” a dark voice whispers against my hair.

  A shudder runs through my entire body. I’m not sure I’ll ever get his deep, gravely voice out of my head again...

  Chapter 2

  Damon

  Why the fuck is this bitch so tense?

  I can't have a girl work at my strip club if she is going to be this uptight. Her back isn’t even bowed, and she looks uncomfortable as fuck. Still, it would be a shame to send this one away.

  Maybe she’s playing hard to get. I smirk. I love it when they play hard to get. The rougher the better.

  I reach for the waistband of her stretchy yoga pants and pull them down roughly. She whimpers underneath me, and again, I wonder if it’s an act. It has to be an act. No one shows up here, especially a woman, without expecting to get fucked. I rub my rock-hard cock between her ass cheeks, making it crystal clear what I want.

  She’s got a nice body, a plump ass, and enough meat on her hips for me to grip onto when I pound into her.

  “You know, for someone who snuck into my office and waited for me…you play really fucking hard to get. Is this how you like it?” I lace my fingers into her hair and nip at her ear, growling the words. I’m getting seriously fucking frustrated.

  I reach around her body and slip a hand into the front of her panties. Expecting to find her cunt wet and ready, I’m surprised when I find her soft, warm clit dry. She isn’t here to fuck me. Fucking pity. Hopefully, I don't have to kill her.

  I pull my hand away from her pussy and loosen my grip on her hair, but I don't release her yet. She's not going to get away from me that easily.

  “Who the fuck are you?” I growl, my fingers slipping to the back of my jeans, resting against my gun. If she is not here for the job or to get fucked, then what the hell does she want?

  “M-M-My brother...sent me.” She stumbles over her own words, and my gaze rakes over her body. Her bare ass is shaking…her entire body…

  “He’s dead…”

  I flip her over onto her back so I can see her face.

  She doesn't look familiar, and I would definitely remember a pretty face like hers. Beautiful brown eyes almost too large for her heart-shaped face, and those lips…they're plump, fuckable. I want them around my cock—preferably right now—but I doubt that's going to happen tonight.

  She looks at me with fear in her eyes, her body trembling. It bothe
rs me, but not enough for me to stop myself from pulling my gun out. I'm not fond of killing women, but I do what needs to be done.

  “Who the fuck is your brother?” I snarl. My body is still impossibly close to hers. If she tries to escape, I’ll have my hand wrapped around her throat in a second.

  I watch her face. Her lips quiver. There is no way she is the sister of one of my men. No one who is affiliated with us gets this terrified over a simple question. But then again, I’ve seen grown ass men piss their pants dealing with me.

  “Are you fucking deaf?” I press the barrel of the gun into her side, right between her ribs. If I pull the trigger, she’ll die. There's no way around it.

  “Puh...puh…please don't.” Tears stain her cheeks.

  I lean closer, smelling her fear, but beneath it, I get a whiff of strawberry. It’s faint, barely there, but it makes my mouth water. I suddenly have the ridiculous urge to kiss her.

  What the fuck?

  I don’t kiss. I don’t cuddle. I don’t do dates. I don’t do shit that could possibly lead to anyone thinking I like a girl for anything other than the hole between her legs.

  But this girl…she has me intrigued. She’s different from the girls I usually have at my mercy.

  She also still hasn’t told me who her fucking brother is, and that's pissing me the hell off. I ask a question, I get a fucking answer.

  “I’m not used to asking twice so you better give me a fucking answer now before I blow your brains all over my office.”

  “Le...Le...Leo is…w-w-was my brother. He…he’s dead.”

  Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

  Leo told me about his little sister a while back. I don’t know much about her, but I do know she knows nothing about the shit her brother was caught up in. He asked me watch out for her incase something bad happened. And promising to watch out for her was the only way I could get him to do some of the more risky drops. I didn't think that promise would actually show up in my office one day.