Drawn To Darkness (Kings Of Mafia)

I hear Dario’s voice as he calls Esmerelda to let her know about Tyrone so she can get a room ready for him.

I didn’t even argue when Dario said we’d be staying with him.

Why?

I’m still trying to find the answer when he comes back into the room.

Snuggled beneath the covers, I watch as he sits down on the armchair and removes his boots. Standing up, he pulls the two guns from behind his back. I’d forgotten they were tucked into his waistband.

He places them on the bedside table, and leaning over me, he presses a kiss to my temple, while whispering, “Move up, Tesoro.”

I scoot back and lift the covers so he can climb beneath them. When he lies down, he wraps an arm around me and positions my body half over his.

Melting into the feel of his warmth, I let out a sigh.

This is why I didn’t argue about staying with him.

I feel safe and loved.

He keeps giving me gentle hugs and pressing kisses against my hair.

“Want to talk?” he whispers.

“Yeah.” I rub my good cheek against his chest. “It’s hard to believe you’re in the mafia. Is the ballet company a front for something?”

“No.” I feel his warm breaths stir my hair as he adds, “I’m still the man who loves art, opera, and ballet.” He pauses for a moment, then admits, “But I’m also a man who’s killed. And I will kill again.”

The memory of me slamming the heel of my shoe into that man’s eye flashes through my mind.

“I’ve killed too,” I whisper. “I have no idea what came over me. One second, I was fearing for my life, and the next, I was attacking them.”

“And you managed to escape,” he murmurs. “You’re more badass than me.”

“You know about my escape attempt?”

“Yes. I got the footage from a CCTV camera in the area. That’s how we were able to figure out where you were.”

A smile begins to curve my lips, but I stop when it tugs on the cut. “At least my escape attempt paid off.”

Remembering what happened afterward, I hold Dario tighter and bury my face in the crook of his neck.

Milania.

“What’s wrong?” Dario asks, concern lacing his words.

I suck in a deep breath of his scent, then say, “There was a woman with me. Milania. She died.”

He presses another kiss to my hair. “I’m sorry, Tesoro.”

“She was so scared. She kept crying,” I whisper. “After they captured me again, we were given drugs. I had this crazy high where I saw Mandy, my mother, lying in front of me. We were face-to-face. When she started choking, it looked like the bubbles were floating.”

My throat strains as all the harrowing shit I was subjected to overwhelms me. Letting out a sob, my voice is strained as I admit, “I did nothing while Milania died right in front of me because I thought she was Mandy.”

“Shhh, Tesoro,” he murmurs as he tightens his arms around me. “You were drugged. There was nothing you could do.”

As my tears start to flow, there’s no stopping them. Needing the release after the insane two days I’ve just been through, I cry my heart out against Dario’s neck.

After a while, my emotions settle enough for me to stop crying, and feeling exhausted, I just lie still in his arms, hoping I’ll fall asleep soon.

A nurse comes in to check on me, and when she asks how I’m feeling, I mutter, “Tired.”

“Do you have a headache?”

“It’s not as bad,” I answer honestly.

She takes my vitals, then says, “Try to get some sleep.”

I plan on doing just that.

Not wanting to think about everything that’s happened, I focus on how good Dario smells and how amazing it feels to be in his arms.

This feeling is something I’ll never take for granted.

I shift my head, resting my cheek on his chest again, and my eyes fall on the two guns.

Only then do I think to ask, “What kind of hospital is this that the nurse didn’t say anything about the guns?”

“It’s a clinic that belongs to the Cosa Nostra,” he informs me.

“Oh.” Remembering something, I ask, “Is everyone I met at the show in the mafia?”

“Yes.” He starts to trail his fingers up and down my arm that’s wrapped around his waist. “Renzo, Franco, Angelo, and Damiano are the other four heads of the Cosa Nostra.”

“And the women?”

“No, they’re not involved in the organization.”

When he brushes over the needle marks, my eyes latch onto them. The sight is disturbing, and it has me tensing.

Dario immediately notices and asks, “What’s wrong?”

“I hate drugs.” I swallow hard on the destructive feelings. “My mother is a drug addict, and I’ve seen what it’s done to her. I’ve lived with it every day.”

Shaking my head, I try to breathe through the tears that are threatening to fall.

My voice is strained as I whisper, “Now I have the same marks on my arm.”

Dario’s fingers wrap around the faded abrasions left by the cable ties on my wrist, and lifting my arm, he presses a kiss to each of the needle marks.

“They’ll fade, Tesoro,” he assures me.

“Yeah.”

Silence falls between us, and I try not to think about the shit I’ve been through. I’ll deal with everything tomorrow, but right now, I just want to sleep.

I move my head a little until I’m able to hear the steady beat of Dario’s heart, and closing my eyes, I focus on the sound until I manage to drift off.

After I slept like the dead, I was checked by the doctor and cleared to go home.

Home, AKA Dario’s penthouse.

I wonder how Tyrone reacted when he saw the place.

Probably the same as me, totally overwhelmed.

Earlier, Dario left to go and get his car and my clothes while I had breakfast.

Dario’s a mob boss.

You’d think I’d be running for the hills, but here I am, sitting in the passenger side of his R8 as he drives us home.

Before shit went down, Dario was this perfect prince, and honestly, it bothered me a little. I didn’t feel good enough to be with him.

But now…

I’ve seen his dark side, and in that moment when he killed the men holding me captive, I fell in love with him all over again.

Dario has blood on his hands. He’s not as perfect as I first thought, but instead, he’s perfect for me. He might be rich, and I’m okay with that, but we’re no longer worlds apart, because we’re both from the wrong side of life.

“What are you thinking about?” Dario asks, drawing me out of my thoughts.

Turning my head to look at the handsome man beside me, I admit, “How I fell in love with you all over again.”

Surprise flickers over his face. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He steers the sports car into the basement and brings it to a stop in the designated parking bay.

Killing the engine he turns toward me, and carefully gripping my chin between his thumb and his forefinger, he presses a soft kiss to my mouth.

When he pulls back, he looks at me as if I’m his entire world, and it makes me feel like the luckiest woman alive.

If it weren’t for Dario, I’d be…

I shake my head, and it makes a frown form on his forehead.

“What?” he asks.

“Just memories,” I mutter before I shove the passenger door open.

Climbing out of the R8, I wait for Dario. He throws his arm around my shoulders and pulls me against his side as we walk to the elevator.

As soon as we’re inside, Dario asks, “About the past two days?”

I nod, letting out a sigh.

“Would you like to see a therapist?”

The doors open, and as we step into the penthouse, I say, “No. I’m sure it will get better with time.”

Bella barks and comes barreling toward us. Crouching down, I pick her up and pet her head as we walk through the foyer.

Tyrone comes from the direction of the kitchen. Seeing him in this luxurious place is weird as hell.

“Hey.” I give him a small smile, careful not to tug at the cut.

He wraps me up in a tight hug, then asks, “How you feeling today?”

Like roadkill and off balance.

“Better.”

Esmerelda also comes out of the kitchen, and seeing the state I’m in, she hurries to my side and takes hold of my arm.

“Dear God, we need to get you in bed. Come, child.”

Not arguing, I let her drag me up the stairs to Dario’s bedroom.

When she throws the covers back, there’s a burst of warmth in my chest because I’ve never had a woman fuss over me before.

“Come. Get in. I’ll make chicken soup. It’s good for the soul,” she mutters while nudging me to sit on the bed.

When she takes my sneakers off my feet, my eyebrows draw together, and I’m overcome with the urge to sob like a baby.

She straightens up, and noticing the emotion on my face, she sits down beside me and wraps an arm around my shoulders.

“There, there,” she coos. “You’re safe now. With a lot of rest, you’ll be back to your usual self in no time.”

I sniffle, and unable to stop the tears, they roll over my cheeks.

“I’ll take over, Esmerelda,” Dario says.

She lets go of me and leaves the room. Dario takes her place beside me, and the next second, I’m pulled onto his lap and squashed against his chest.

Just having him hold me gives me the strength to regain control over my emotions.

He calms me.

Resting my head against his shoulder, I close my eyes, and within seconds, I fall asleep in his arms.