Mine to Keep: A Dark Mafia Romance Read online

  MINE TO KEEP

  SARA FIELDS

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  Mafia and Billionaire Romances by Sara Fields

  Books of the Wolf Kings Series

  Sci-Fi and Paranormal Romances by Sara Fields

  Books of the Alpha Brotherhood Series

  Books of the Omegaborn Trilogy

  Books of the Vakarran Captives Series

  Books of the Captive Brides Series

  Books of the Terranovum Brides Series

  More Stormy Night Books by Sara Fields

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2022 by Stormy Night Publications and Sara Fields

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Published by Stormy Night Publications and Design, LLC.

  www.StormyNightPublications.com

  Fields, Sara

  Mine to Keep

  Cover Design by Korey Mae Johnson

  Images by iStock/MRBIG_PHOTOGRAPHY and iStock/Pgiam

  This book is intended for adults only. Spanking and other sexual activities represented in this book are fantasies only, intended for adults.

  CHAPTER 1

  Ava Richardson

  It was supposed to be a normal day.

  Get up. Drink some coffee. Go to work and walk home. Then I’d planned to end the day by pouring myself a generous glass of cabernet, cracking open a book, and reading until I fell asleep, safe and snug in my own bed.

  That’s how I’d pictured it and that’s how it went—up until the walk home from work.

  When I emerged from the bar after a long shift of catcalling and pretending to be interested in all the sleazy drunk guys that hit on me in hopes I’d make them a stronger drink, I was dead tired. I don’t know what it was about Thursday nights, but it sure as hell brought out the worst in people. I’d take a Friday or Saturday over a Thursday any day.

  Someone whistled at me from across the street and I ignored them, not even looking in their direction or giving them the time of day as I turned down the block. My apartment was only about a fifteen-minute walk from work, but tonight it felt like forever. I looked down the street. One of the headlights above me started to flicker and once again I asked myself if it was worth it. I hustled a bit faster.

  I didn’t really need the money. If I ever needed anything at all, all I had to do was swallow my pride and ask my godfather for help.

  I didn’t want to do that. He’d already given me so much.

  My uncle David was my only family now. He wasn’t technically blood related, but that didn’t matter. Not really. He was the one who had looked after me after my parents died back when I was fifteen. It had been a shock. No one ever expects to get a call at three in the afternoon with the news that your parents were killed in a car crash with some drunk driver.

  He’d taken care of me ever since. He’d paid for me to go to a ritzy boarding school in Connecticut. He’d insisted on paying for my apartment, which I needed to be honest because rent prices in New York were absolutely ridiculous. Without him, there was no way I could afford to live anywhere near the university and for that I was grateful.

  I didn’t like accepting his handouts for everything though. I got a job as soon as I turned eighteen so that I could pay for some things myself. Balancing the hours on top of my college classes was hard, but I did it anyway because that’s what I wanted. It felt so much better to earn it rather than be given it.

  Sometimes I wondered if that was a redeeming quality or if it just made me stupid.

  Another dude catcalled me from around the corner. I scrunched my nose in disgust but kept going. The rank scent of body odor assaulted my nose and I picked up the pace of my stride. The city was beautiful from a distance at night, but it sure as hell was an eyesore up close.

  The street was littered with trash. A bunch of shops were closed. Giant metal gates blocked their entrances. Thick bars covered any visible windows, protecting the merchandise inside from whatever criminals were walking the streets after bar closing hours.

  I sighed, looking up into the night sky. The stars were a little brighter tonight than usual. I could see a tiny little sliver of the moon, which didn’t cast much light down on the pavement beneath. The darkness all around me seemed especially consuming.

  I moved my feet a bit faster. Only two more blocks now and then I could crack open the cabernet I’d gotten and read until I passed out. My first class wasn’t until noon tomorrow, so I was going to sleep in as late as I could.

  I sighed again, imagining the beautiful deep color of those delectable grapes in my glass.

  A police siren echoed somewhere in the distance. Someone’s brakes squealed and the rancid smell of burned rubber wafted from behind me. I jumped and glanced over my shoulder, cursing softly at letting such a common thing startle me.

  I was on edge tonight. I really needed to get it together.

  “What’s up, hot stuff? Where are you heading this late at night?” a man called out from behind me a little way. His voice was gruff and dangerous, and I did my best to ignore it. Usually, they left you alone if you didn’t respond.

  I had just one more block to go. I contemplated sprinting to the front door of my building, but that would just make me an even bigger target.

  “Those are some nice tight leggings. Show off your legs and that pretty ass of yours,” the man continued.

  Fuck. Right. Off.

  I knew better than to respond. I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone. I pretended to dial a number and held it up to my ear while my other hand sought out the small pepper spray attached to my keyring. The metal dug into my palm, but I didn’t dare loosen my grip.

  The purr of an engine rumbled, revving slightly a few blocks back. I strode a bit faster, but its gentle throttle started to grow louder. I turned my head just enough to see a big black SUV rolling along the street. Alarm bells rang in my head when I realized that it was driving way more slowly than it should have been. This wasn’t someone heading home from a night at a bar. They were looking for someone.

  I lifted my gaze. My building wasn’t that much farther. I lowered my head, shrugging my jacket up on my shoulders. It was big on me, but I liked it. The soft fabric liner was luxurious against my skin. I reached back and lifted the hood, hiding the long thick waves of my hair beneath it.

  Should have done that earlier.

  The engine’s rumble grew louder and revved again. It was much closer now. It roared suddenly and my heart leapt into my throat. In a panic, I sprinted down the block as quickly as I could.

  Which was stupid, really. Human legs weren’t even remotely equipped to outrun a goddamn car.

  My heels pounded into the pavement as I raced ahead. When I glanced back, the SUV was hurtling toward me. One of the doors flew open and a man jumped out, followed by another from the front seat. Instinctually, I brought up the pepper spray in an attempt to protect myself, but there was no chance to aim. In my panic, I missed, and the two men closed in on me. They were massive, both well over six foot and built like linebackers.

  I was just over five feet. I sucked at push-ups. I didn’t stand a chance against them. Their arms closed ar
ound me, and I screamed, but I knew no one would come. No one gave a damn about anyone here in the city. That was pretty much a part of the New Yorker guidelines.

  A massive hand slapped over my mouth, and I tried to bite it, but I couldn’t get any leverage. One of the men grunted as he forced my arms behind my back. Metal rings clapped around each wrist, and I cried out, only realizing that they were handcuffs when it was too late. I screamed again, not caring that the sound was muffled. I kicked and twisted my body hard to break away, but it did nothing. They were massive, strong, and they shoved me into the backseat of the oversized SUV with terrifyingly overwhelming ease.

  My back slammed against the leather seat, and I sucked in a cry as the metal pinched at the skin of my wrists. The cuffs were too tight, and I bit my lip, knowing that they were likely to leave marks; that is, if they ever came off. I struggled to breathe regularly, trying to keep my billowing trepidation at bay. I folded my fingers together, lifted my head, and attempted to hide the way my body was shaking.

  Was this it? Was this how my life was going to end?

  I used those brief moments to get a handle on my surroundings. The SUV was set up like the back of a limo. There was a driver, but I couldn’t quite make out his face through the tinted divider. Two of the brutes that had captured me sat across from me.

  Someone slipped a blindfold over my face, cutting off my line of vision. He cleared his throat and I blinked back tears. I didn’t want to die. This wasn’t how my life was supposed to go.

  “Is she really worth it, boss? This is your last chance to back out,” one of the men murmured. He sounded rational at least. Potentially kind as far as criminals that kidnap women off the street go anyway. Maybe I could use that. At this point, I would take anything.

  “This bitch? Oh, she’s going to get what’s coming to her,” another answered, but his voice was distinctly different than the first. He sounded younger, entitled somehow, and I curled my shoulders forward as I retreated as far back into the seat as I could manage.

  “Why her? You’ve got all the money in the world. You could buy any woman for a night, but you choose this one?” Mr. Rational asked softly. The seat creaked as he sat down. He’d sat next to me.

  “No. It must be this one. I’m going to run the family differently than my cocky arrogant piece of shit father. I want everyone to know I’m in charge and when I give an order, they will obey,” the other voice continued. He leaned toward me. I didn’t need to see him to know that his face was inches from mine.

  The whiskey on his breath told me everything I needed to know.

  Fingertips slid along my jaw, up toward my brow. He grabbed the blindfold and ripped it away, scratching my cheek in the process.

  The overhead lights were on. I could see his face. I knew him.

  Anthony Montagna.

  He didn’t move, but it was as if he’d reached across the car and slapped me. I opened and closed my mouth, wanting to say something but nothing came out.

  To this day, I remembered the feeling of his harsh grasp on my arm like it was branded into my flesh. The thought of it made my skin crawl.

  He and I had gone to the same boarding school. I hadn’t known who he was until my senior year. He’d always struck me as some sort of arrogant asshole, but I stayed out of his way and mostly under the radar, or so I thought I had anyway.

  Our high school had been ritzy. All the students were ridiculously rich, the kind of trust fund rich that meant they’d probably never have to work a day in their lives. Everyone went out to lunch at fancy restaurants every day except for me. I hid behind the school and ate my bagged lunch, too embarrassed to let anyone see the sad state of my ham and cheese on wheat bread. He’d noticed though.

  I remembered that day like it was yesterday. It was my senior year, about a week after my eighteenth birthday when he’d come for me.

  I’d had my headphones in my ears, so I hadn’t heard him coming. Before I even knew what was happening, his fingers had wrapped around my wrist, and he’d thrown me back against a wall. Immediately, his body had surrounded mine, pressing me back against the brick and cutting off any avenue of escape.

  He’d torn the headphones from my ears, his forearm practically shoved against my neck, while his other hand pawed at my breasts.

  “Look at you, hiding back here like some common whore, waiting for a man like me to come and take you and give you exactly what you deserve,” he growled.

  “Get off of me,” I seethed. “You’ve got no right.”

  “I have every right. Do you even know who I am, Ava Richardson? Because I know everything about you,” he retorted. His fingers curled around the collar of my white shirt, and he ripped it right open, exposing the cheap cotton bra I was wearing beneath.

  “Let go of me, Tony. I’ll scream,” I replied furiously. I knew he hated the name Tony. He’d always corrected every teacher who had the audacity to call him that nickname. It made him seem like one of the most pompous dickheads in the whole school.

  “I’ll do more than make you scream,” he replied, and I snarled with anger. I twisted my body hard and brought my leg up, kneeing him in the balls with a ferocity that I was still proud of to this day. He’d crumpled with a high squealing cry, and I’d pushed him aside to the ground, making my escape as quickly as I could. I ran back to my dorm and didn’t come out again that day. The next morning, I rearranged my schedule to avoid any classes with him. I started hiding out in the library for lunch and after classes ended, I would make sure to tail groups of girls on their way back to the dorms.

  It worked. Or at least I’d thought it had until now.

  I stared into those cold brown eyes, seeing that he hadn’t lost any bit of the arrogant entitlement that I remembered. He still stared at me like I owed him something, like he was better than me just because he’d grown up in the embrace of his parents’ success.

  “She’s just a girl, boss,” the logical one continued.

  “No, she’s not, Jon,” Anthony replied, and I swallowed.

  “What do you want?” I managed.

  “All those years ago, you got it in your pretty head that you could say no to a man like me, but now everything has fallen into place for me, it’s well past due that I finally take what I deserve,” he spat.

  “Are you going to kill me?” I asked softly.

  “Maybe. I haven’t decided. Maybe after I fuck you raw and bloody, I’ll give you to Jon over there to enjoy my sloppy seconds,” he mused.

  “People will notice that I’m missing. You can’t just kidnap me, rape me, and kill me while expecting to get away with it,” I scoffed.

  “You still don’t know who I am, do you?” he smirked. My stomach pitched forward at the evil gleam in his gaze. I was out of my depth, and he knew it.

  “You’re Anthony Montagna. You’re rich. I know,” I retorted, and he chuckled, the sound chilling me to the bone.

  “I’m rich, sure, but that isn’t even a tenth of it. I am the most powerful man in the city. When I tell someone to jump, they jump. If I command them to run, they run, and if I decide someone needs killing, it’s simply a matter of time until they’re nothing more than a corpse,” he answered.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, my voice shaking.

  “You denied me, Ava, and that demands an answer. I am going to truly enjoy your screams for mercy when I finally teach you what happens when you say no to a kingpin,” he continued.

  Jesus Christ. He was part of the mafia.

  “I don’t know why my father protected you in the past. I would have come for you long ago if not for him, but he’s dead now. Pissed off some lower turf gangsters in Brooklyn and caught a bullet between the eyes for his trouble. Now it’s just me and I intend to rule the city differently than he did. I’m going to change the way things are done around here, and I’m going to start with you,” he declared, and a tiny, strangled cry flew from my mouth. I slapped my lips together to try to cover it up, but I knew he’d heard it from th
e look of deranged glee that passed over his face.

  Anthony’s phone rang and he turned his head. A hand brushed against my thigh, and I jerked away. It was Jon and I glanced up at him with suspicion. His eyes were a deep mahogany but speckled with lighter flecks of green and hazel. They were hard, but there was a kindness in their depths that I hadn’t noticed before. His nose was angled like it had been broken once before. Several days of beard growth shadowed his chin, giving him a slightly more dangerous aura, but something told me that I would be safe with him.

  He held up a single finger to his lips, flashing what looked like a small metal key in the other. He beckoned for me to turn around and it took me a moment to catch onto his meaning. I turned my body just a little and he reached behind my back. I don’t know how he did it, but he slid the key in the lock. Each cuff loosened, just enough to release the pinching ache of the metal. I shimmied my hands, realizing that if I wanted, I could be free of them.

  His finger circled again. I glanced at him with distrust, but he didn’t say a word. He looked at me with a sort of sadness, and maybe a hint of regret. I searched his gaze and it softened substantially, enough for me to trust him the tiniest bit.

  I’m not exactly sure why, but I turned my back to the seat once again. I caught Jon’s eyes again. I wasn’t exactly sure of his position in the mob, but I’d seen The Godfather a few times growing up. It was one of my dad’s favorite movies.

  I knew the basic power structure of a mob family. There was a boss who was the final word on everything. He was typically advised by a consigliere, but in the end, he made the decisions he saw fit. Jon was either his consigliere or the underboss, but I wasn’t sure which yet.