Prologue
Dina peers at her grandfather with fright as he sits in front of her during family visitation. The old man is silent, his look hard and cold.
“Nonno Don?” She finally breaks the silence.
“I cannot express—how angry I am at you right now.” His dark brown eyes peer into hers.
“I just---needed to get out. I have to avenge my daddy’s death!” she stutters.
“You turn state’s evidence against the members of our family who had nothing to do with your father and his shady dealings and expect me to look the other way?”
“I thought you understood!”
“I understand nothing of what you, your father, or your brothers did!” He growls. Dina’s shuddering breaths fill the eerie silence of the room. She never thought her grandfather would be so unforgiving. Truthfully, she expected that he would find her willingness to sacrifice everything as a gesture of respect.
“I did it for us. With daddy, Gio and John gone, who’s gonna head the business?” Don scoffs at her statement.
“Who do you think? Because of the mess you started, I have to come out of retirement. I want nothing to do with you when you get out, but I do have some advice for you, Girl.” Dina’s hurt look doesn’t faze him as his reputation had been slaughtered when it was revealed that Dina and her father were extorting money from numerous businessmen over the years. He had not wanted his legacy to be a part of that. Where he came from, business was legit and you didn’t hurt anyone physically to get it done.
“What advice is that, papa?” she asks softly, defeated.
“You need to stay the hell away from the Marks family. DeLuca met with me a few months ago.” Dina looks up in surprise at the familiar name.
“How do they know DeLuca?”
“Dina, did you not do your research on this man before you started messing with him? His mother is a DeLuca! The oldest daughter of Leonardo DeLuca.” Dina is stunned into silence. She had no idea that Vincent Marks was grandson to one of the most prominent Italian families. He never talked about his family to her.
“Please forgive me…please.” Her eyes plead with her grandfather.
“Dina…you are my granddaughter. I have forgiven you, but I will not forget what you have done. When you get out of this dump, I expect you to go far away. No contacting any of the family—including the outcasts. Make a new life for yourself and stop this foolishness!”
“What about daddy’s death? My brothers?”
“Let it go. I’m warning you. Unless you, yourself have a death wish.” Dina sighs heavily while preparing to tell the biggest lie she’s ever told.
“I will go away…I won’t bother them.”
“Good.” Don Luciano gets up, turning away from his granddaughter. In a moment of pity, he faces her, squeezing her hand.
“This is the right thing to do. You can live a wonderful life. Just put all of this behind you.” Dina nods, tears falling out of her eyes. No one understood how badly she needed revenge. Her father, despite his shortcomings, was a great man in her eyes. Sure, he conducted under an ugly business model, but he was her teacher. She couldn’t let that go, and she knew Vincent Marks was responsible. She would get her revenge, even if it killed her.
Chapter 1 November
“Nonno, do you want another slice?” I ask my husband’s grandfather, looking at his empty plate. He laughs at my question.
“An old man like me has to watch his waistline, my dear. But thank you.” He smiles at me as I take his plate, putting it in the sink.
“Wine?” Vince asks him.
“Oh, I can always drink more wine!” The old man laughs. Vince’s grandfather is staying with us until our situation with Dina is done—or until he’s done everything he could do to protect us. She had been given a ridiculously light sentence for her crime against me. A couple of months ago, she threatened to take revenge for the death of her father which was something neither of us had anything to do with. Once he met with Dina’s grandfather, Vince’s nonno found out that the one who ordered the hit was no other than the very family he died trying to defend.
“How are you feeling?” Vince asks me, interrupting my distant thoughts.
“I’m fine. You worry too much.” I kiss his nose. I had been feeling a little tired lately but considering the situation with Dina plus long work days, I wasn’t as worried as my husband. He takes my hand, squeezing it as his grandfather gazes at us with admiration.
“There’s a lot of love in this house” he comments thoughtfully. Vince smiles widely.
“Always, Nonno” he answers, taking his place at the table.
“Will there be some great-grandchildren for Nonno soon?” Vince and I exchange glances.
“We haven’t talked about it” I admit.
“What is there to talk about?” he asks.
“We’ve only been married a few months. Don’t you think these things need to be planned?” Vince inquires.
“Nonsense. Children aren’t meant to be planned. That’s the fun of being a family!” We both laugh heartily.
“Patience, Nonno.” Vince pats him on the back.
“Well, I guess I can stick around for a bit longer…at least until the first one is born” He grins, patting my hand.
“You’re gonna be around forever” Vince says. I saw a different side of my husband once his grandfather came to town. It was obvious he revered his grandfather as one would a long-lost hero. I admired his respect for the old man, and soon loved Nonno as much as my own grandfather who passed away a few years before we got married.
Later that evening, Vince and I sink into the warm, bubbly water of our garden tub. It had become a nightly ritual for us, even when we got home late. It was our time to unwind and enjoy each other’s company without any distractions. I lean my head back against his chest.
“What’s on your mind?” He asks.
“Honestly, a whole lot.”
“Talk to me.” I turn around.
“She gets out in April…after that, we won’t know her name or anything about her. What are we gonna do?” He sighs, bringing me close.
“We have it under control, and if we don’t…I have a feeling that Don Luciano will take care of it.”
“Do you really think he would kill his own granddaughter?”
“He obviously felt some kind of way about Dominic’s handling of the family business.” I shudder at the thought.
“My cousin Antonio will be here soon. He’s good about keeping all of that away.” Never did I imagine that we would be talking about our lives like we are in some mafia movie. Sensing my anxiety, Vince pulls me closer to him.
“Everything will be fine” he whispers.
“Will it?” I ask, the uncertainty making fear rise in my heart.
“It will. I trust my grandfather. He’s the only one that knows how to deal with this quietly.” I lay my head back on his chest, and he wraps his arms around me. We sit in the silence of the room, finding comfort in each other.
The next day, I sit at my desk as Lacy’s voice comes over the intercom.
“Madeline, there’s a lady on the phone for you. Says she’s a friend of your family?”
“What’s her name, Lacy?”
“She won’t tell me.”
“Okay, put her through, and tell Vince to come to my office.”
“Sure.” I pick up the phone cautiously.
“Who is this?” I answer.
“Mrs. Marks, I’m sorry about the mystery, but I have to keep my identity limited.”
“Again, who are you? Forgive me if I don’t exactly trust people who choose to remain anonymous.”
“Ms. Marks, my name is Agent Kaci Beckham.”
“Agent? What kind of agent?” I interrupt.
“I formerly worked in the ITB of the FBI.”
“I’m sorry…you’re gonna have to tell me what that means.”
“The Information and Technology branch” she explains.
“Yes, and?”
“I need you to listen to me very carefully.”
“I’m listening.” I hear a knock on the door and see Vince’s face through the glass. I gesture for him to come in as Agent Beckham begins to talk.
“Agent Bianchi asked me to help you guys out with a…situation involving Dina Andrews AKA Dina Luciano.”
“What can you do?”
“We can monitor any and all attempts to invade you and your family’s privacy. I’ve been advised that Ms. Andrews, or…Luciano has been in the business of photographing, videotaping and phone tapping. Is that true Mrs. Marks?”
“Yes…before she was arrested.” Vince looks at me with question and I shake my head.
“Because she will be in the witness protection program, I can’t legally keep tabs on her, but we can monitor from your end to make sure that no one is, for lack of a better word, spying on you.”
“Well, she doesn’t get out until April—“ I start.
“She doesn’t, but if she has a plan, I’d be a fool not to think she would be putting things in place.”
“So, what do you want? To work for us?”
“No, I’d prefer that I not be on your company’s payroll.”
“So, you want to be paid under the table?”
“Mrs. Marks, I don’t need to be paid at all. I’m doing this as a favor to Luis.”
“What’s in this for you?” She sighs.
“I’ll explain that later. When can you meet?”
“Um…this evening? The Wine Bar near Ponce?”
“Okay, 5:30?”
“That’s fine.”
“I’ll see you then.” I hang up and look at my husband who is gazing at me in curiosity.
“So, I’m assuming Luis has called some of his friends from the FBI.”
“Well, we both knew he was going to do that. What is this person offering?”
“Monitoring…you know, our phone lines, internet activity…”
“Why monitor us and not Dina?”
“Because they can’t do that to a person in witness protection…at least not for our sake.” Vince sits back in his chair.
“What are you thinking?” I ask.
“Does she want to get paid?” I shake my head.
“Shane can monitor all of our communication. I’m just curious as to what her motive is.”
“Well, she’s going to tell me when I meet her this evening.”
“I wonder why Luis didn’t tell her to contact me?” He thinks aloud.
“Because you’re too busy” I answer. He laughs loudly at my response. Over the past few months, PharmaCo had acquired two failing pharmaceutical companies, and Vince had been tasked with reorganizing their structures for profit.
“I guess so.” He gets up, and just when I think he is about to leave, he clicks the button next to my office windows that frosts them so that no one can see in. Considering our office antics, it was the best investment we ever made. We once had blinds, but Vince’s best friend Gus gave us the name of someone who could totally cover the windows without that hassle.
He rounds my desk quickly, grabbing me up in an electrifying kiss. Before I can utter a protest, he quickly reaches under my skirt, shredding the lacy black underwear that barely covers me.
“Vince” I whisper as he hikes up my skirt with insistence, sitting me on the desk. He silently and quickly unbuckles his belt and pants, sliding them down just enough.
“Maddie” he pushes into me and I grip his shoulders tightly, loving the feeling of his thick, long cock. I crave this man every day and night. The only one who can give me mind blowing sex and love that easily rivaled that of any other man I had ever dated.
“Kiss me” I whisper, and he obeys my demand, pressing his lips to mine. I seek out his tongue as I match his hard, fast thrusts before I feel the sensation I always yearn for. Pulling away from his kiss, I bury my face in his shoulder, muffling my orgasmic screen and he groans in response.
“You are so fucking amazing!” He whispers harshly as I feel his cock throb inside of me. He fills me with his seed, holding me tightly as I take pleasure in feeling the warm rush from his release. We both chuckle lightly at our office tryst and he loosens his grip on me.
“Afternoon delight, Mr. Marks?” I ask with a smile.
“I’d say so.” I reach down, buttoning his pants and carefully hooking his belt. He separates from me, giving me space to hop down from my desk. I pick up the torn material that used to be my underwear and shake my head.
“Why do I even bother?” I ask him as I toss it in the trash.
“That’s a question I’ve always had” he remarks. I step towards him for another kiss.
“Get out of here before I get behind on all my work” I scold in a teasing whisper.
“I’ll see you after your meeting?” He asks. I nod and tell him that dinner is in the fridge for him and his grandfather.
“Take Jillian…” he says, leaving out of the door. I know it’s an order, not a request, so I don’t provide any argument against it like I usually would.
“Mrs. Marks?” A woman I presume to be Kaci Beckham stands up when Jillian and I walk towards her table. Ms. Beckham may be a federal agent, but looked like she belonged on the cover of some magazine. Her flawless mahogany face is framed with a huge fro of thick curls and she must be a good 5 inches taller than me.
“Yes, I’m Madeline Marks. This, “I say, pointing to Jillian, “is Jillian Moreno. My executive security specialist.” Ms. Beckham nods to Jillian and shakes my hand before sitting down.
“I ordered a bottle of Pinot Grigio” She offers me the bottle and I take it, pouring a generous glassful.
“Ms. Moreno? NYPD, correct?” Ms. Beckham looks her way.
“Gang task force unit” Jillian answers.
“I read up on the security specialists for PharmaCo. I hope you don’t mind, Mrs. Marks.” I shake my head.
“Why would I mind? The important question here is what do you want?” She looks down, circling her fingers around the rim of the glass.
“I kind of have to give you the backstory…”
“I’m listening.” She looks up, her light brown eyes piercing mine.
“My maiden name is Kaci Brooks—“ I nearly choke on the wine I was sipping on.
“Kaci Brooks? Daughter of Michael Brooks, the former owner of PharmaCo?” I inquire. She nods. I was never acquainted with Kaci. She was a few years older than me and her father didn’t mention his oldest daughter very much. Maybe that was because she worked for the FBI.
“Luis and I worked on the force together as rookies. He started doing field work, and they assigned me to the information technology branch. He used me a couple times when you…had your situation. It was the stupidity of her brothers that led us to where you were. I was willing to help because it nearly killed my father to give up PharmaCo. He had and continues to have faith that Mr. Marks will continue what he built. I’m here to make sure that happens.”
“I didn’t realize it affected him that much” I reply quietly. She nods.
“I wanted to take out every Luciano for what she did. Repeated harassment from her brothers, threats, and blackmail is what finally drove my father to sell the company.” I nod.
“We already have Shane Watson monitoring our communication. Why do we need you?” I glance at her in curiosity.
“Agent Watson is good; I’ll give you that. However, he only has the ability to monitor. Me? Well, I’m a hacker. Any attempts to invade your privacy would be thwarted, and we would be able to trace the whereabouts of the culprits in seconds.” I look over at Jillian who shrugs.
“So…this is about revenge?” I ask.
“Like I said, I’m doing Luis a favor; however, I will say that I want to make sure that bitch goes down for everything she did: to my father, to you, and Mr. Marks.” I take a deep breath before draining my wine glass.
“I need for you to meet with Mr. Marks sometime this week. Call his secretary and set up an appointment. Afterwards, we will get you acquainted with our security team.”
“That sounds like a plan, Mrs. Marks.”
“Fine. Well, we have to go…” I throw a twenty on the table which she hands back to me, shaking her head.
“Thank you for the wine.” I get up, grasping her hand once more before moving out behind Jillian to the valet stand.
Once I get home, I hear chatter coming from the kitchen: more than just Vince and his grandfather. With my dog Faith at my heels, I step into the kitchen and see Vince, his grandfather, Luis and a man who unmistakably looks like Vince’s cousin Antonio.
Antonio was a handsome Italian man in his forties. His traits mirrored Vince’s mother: intense green eyes, olive skin and jet-black hair. As I approach the table, everyone gets up to greet me.
“At ease, soldiers” I joke with a sincere smile. Antonio laughs heartily.
“Nice to see you again, Madeline.” He embraces me tightly, caressing my back which makes me a bit uncomfortable.
“Enough, Antonio!” Vince pulls me away from his grasp and immediately hooks his arm tightly around my waist. He can be enormously possessive sometimes.
“Just being friendly, man. You’re still as bad as when we were younger and I’d play with your toys.” Antonio throws up his hands in playful defeat.
“Yeah, well, sometimes you’re too friendly. She is your cousin’s wife, show some respect.” Nonno narrows his eyes at his other grandson who seems to sink at his grandfather’s scolding eyes. They all sit down and I take my place beside Vince.
“You’re just in time,” Luis says, “what did you get from Agent Beckham?” I gaze at the curious faces surrounding me.
“Luis, did you know that she was Mr. Brooks’ daughter?” I ask. He shakes his head.
“Not at first. She only told me after I’d asked for help the first time…when you were kidnapped.” I turn to my husband.
“She could definitely be an asset to us, Vince. I told her to arrange a meeting with you as soon as possible.” He nods.
“Well, we have a great security team in place.” He glances at his grandfather and Luis.
“What is it that you’re not telling me?” Nonno takes my hand.
“Someone tried to kill Don Luciano” he says gently. My heart nearly gets caught in my throat. Not that I was particularly concerned about him, but he had been gracious enough to give us a list of any estranged family who might work with Dina. If he was in danger, so were we.
“Don’t worry, we just need to be on extra alert for a while until the sting of this dies down. It might not even be related to us. He could have pissed off someone else” Antonio says as I drum my fingernails nervously on the table.
“What’s the plan?” I ask.
“Fairly simple for now. Until he wakes up and reveals who hurt him, we don’t have anyone to look for. However, you need to let Jillian stay with you. I will be with Mr. Marks” Luis says. I nod with understanding.
“Just curious—what happened to him?” I ask. The men all look at each other.
“Thrown down a stairwell in one of the casinos” Nonno answers.
“That’s horrible.”
“It will be fine, Baby.” Vince rubs my knee.
“I believe you” I whisper.
“Antonio will be staying at one of the hotels near our neighborhood.” Vince hands me a card.
“If I can’t get to you…if something happens to me, you call this number.”
“It will light up all my lines” Antonio adds.
“Somebody will get to you within minutes. All you have to do is say your name when the line picks up” Luis says. I take the card with trepidation. I wasn’t entirely used to the security measures Vince had put in place: trackers, unknown numbers, and extra security detail. Our neighbor, Connor Grayson trained him well. Connor was an established billionaire who owned tons of hotels and resorts. He and his wife Allison had two children, and he was beyond paranoid about protecting them. Despite that, he made sure we had whatever we needed to survive this fiasco.
“You okay, Maddie?” Vince asks, tearing me from my thoughts.
“Yeah” I reply absently.
“I better go. I need to keep tabs on old man Luciano” Antonio gets up and grabs Vince’s hand.
“Tutto andra bene” he says quietly.
“Lo so grazie” Vince responds.
“Ciao, everyone.” We all wave as Luis walks him to the door.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to rest before dinner” Nonno gets up, heading towards the downstairs guest room. Vince continues to study my face, looking for any indication of emotion. Before he can say anything, Luis comes back in the kitchen.
“I’ll keep track of Don Luciano like you asked. We’ll meet in the morning with Agent Beckham?” Vince nods.
“Meet me in my office at 10 AM.”
“Got it, later Boss, Madeline.” He glances at me.
“Good-bye, Luis” I say quietly. He steps out, leaving Vince and me alone in the kitchen. There is a silence between us for a few minutes.
“Wine?” he blurts out, breaking the silence.
“Sure.” I hear him cork the bottle and the clink of two glasses as he sits across from me at the table. As he pours the deep red liquid into two glasses, he gazes at me carefully.
“Talk to me, Baby.” He commands, sliding the glass towards me.
“This is all just…overwhelming” I respond
“I know it is. I wasn’t expecting anyone to try Don. He’s my grandfather’s age. What bothers me is that Nonno told me that he suspected that Don settled things with the Moretti family. Who is after him?” He drinks his wine thoughtfully.
“Maybe Dina found out that he was the one who ordered the hit on her father?” Vince shakes his head.
“Shane says that Don visited Dina a few days ago. I doubt he would confess it to her, knowing that she gets out in a matter of months.”
“Do you think they reconciled?” The thought makes me sick. If they reconciled, all bets are off. It would be us vs. the Luciano family.
“Not a chance. He wouldn’t dishonor the arrangement with Nonno.” As I take a long sip from my glass, I look in my husband’s serious hazel eyes.
“Can’t we just get away from all of this?” He huffs, standing up with his glass.
“Baby, there’s nowhere to go that someone won’t find us. If we don’t stay and fight this—we’ll be running away from her forever.” Feeling the exhaustion that has been plaguing me the past four weeks, I decide that I’ve had enough talk for now.
“I’ll fix dinner…” I take my wine glass with me as I go to the fridge, figuring out what to cook. As I settle on seared steaks with a salad and roasted potatoes, I feel those strong arms encircle my waist. The warmth of his body pressed against my back almost makes me melt into a puddle on the floor. I pause, letting the feeling take over me.
“You wanna go upstairs for a bit?” He whispers.
“I have to feed your grandfather…” I argue softly. He chuckles.
“He’ll be napping for a couple of hours.” He turns me around to face him before giving me an urgent deep kiss, lifting me off the floor. I close the refrigerator door with my foot, returning his kiss with just as much passion and fire. Taking my hand, he leads me upstairs to our bedroom. As soon as the door closes, he picks me up, pressing his lips to mine once more. He carries me to the bed, laying me down gently.
“Maddie…” he whispers before devouring my neck.
“You make my nickname sound so dirty…” I giggle. He puts his forehead on mine.
“You? Dirty? Never…” he smiles as he unbuttons my blouse, placing soft kisses on my collarbone. I gasp with delight as he slowly unhooks my bra, caressing my shoulders.
“How did I ever get so damned lucky to have such a beautiful woman in my bed?” he whispers, trailing down my stomach. After he unhooks my skirt and slides it down my legs, he comes back up to me.
“Undress me” he orders, his hazel eyes burning. I quickly loosen his tie and damn near tear the buttons off his shirt. He chuckles at my enthusiasm as I unbuckle his belt and pants.
“Easy…we have awhile” he croons as I shove his pants and boxers down.
“I need you now.” I look up at him, and he crawls on top of me, the heat of his body burning my skin. Grabbing my hips, he pushes into me unhurriedly which prompts me to moan loudly. It’s torture when he goes so slow and my body yearns for him to take me hard and fast. I push my hips up to meet him, my body begging for him to speed up. He grabs me, holding me in place.
“You’re gonna let me make love to you.” I can only whimper in response as he continues to thrust in and out at an achingly slow pace.
“Vince…Vince!” I cry out loudly.
“Yes…always so wet for me” he hisses, moving my hips to his rhythm, his cock stroking my clit with each thrust. His kisses are soft and sweet as he massages my tongue with his. I cling to him as if my life depends on it.
My body begins to shake, and I look in his eyes as my body shatters into a million pieces. I scream his name loudly, and he finally becomes undone, thrusting faster.
“Maddie…” he groans, piercing the throbbing flesh between my legs with his harsh rhythm.
“Fuck!” He yells as he shudders violently, his hot thick semen rushing into me. I grab his face, kissing him with fervor. He pulls me on top, and I lay my head on his chest.
“Eventually, I’m gonna have to cook” I whisper.
“That can wait. Just let me hold you.” We’d been married for five months and together for a year, but it still shocked me when he showed me so much affection. I wasn’t used to it. My dating history was pathetic: guys who only wanted to get laid or ones who stayed in a relationship with me long enough to get my trust before dropping me out of nowhere. I thought this only happened in fairy tales and trashy romance novels.
“What’s on your mind?” he asks.
“Nothing. Just you.”
“What about me?” I rest my chin on his chest and gaze at him.
“I guess I’m still not used to this.”
“You’ve had me for more than a year and you still doubt me?”
“I don’t doubt you. I feel like I’m living in this crazy fantasy.”
“It’s all real, Baby.”
“One day, I’ll realize that.” He tightens his hold on me, kissing my temple.
“Yes, you will.”
An hour later, Vince and I cook dinner together while Nonno sits at the table drinking a glass of wine.
“Nonno, how do you like your steak?” I ask as the skillet heats up.
“Medium well, my dear” he answers.
“Oh, so that’s where you get it from!” I nudge Vince who laughs.
“I get a lot of things from my grandfather” he replies as he finishes tossing the salad.
Once dinner is done and everyone is served, I take my place beside Vince at the table.
“Are you ready for Thanksgiving, Nonno?” I ask. He nods.
“It will be good to see everyone again. I haven’t been with the family since your wedding.”
“That was only five months ago” Vince laughs.
“Yes, but I’m getting older. I want to see my family as much as possible.” I take his hand in mine, squeezing it gently.
“You’ll be around for a long time.” I give him a smile which he returns.
