Mafia Queen (The Manning Sisters #1) Read online

  “What do you have in mind?” Rachel asked and James grinned.

  “You’ll see in about two minutes,” he answered as he turned down a long road headed toward the warehouse district.

  “I think I know what you have in mind,” Dakota said with a grin. As soon as Easton turned on the road to follow them, James speed up and took a hard left into a small alley between two buildings.

  “Everyone out,” he shouted as he turned the SUV to block the alley. They exited the vehicle and he directed them to a row of dumpsters at the end of the alley. “Back there where you’ll be safe.”

  “What about you?” Rachel asked and he smiled.

  “I have a little surprise for our pursuer,” he told her and kissed her forehead. “Get back there with Lis and Dakota. I’ll be okay as long as you are.”

  Rachel looked at him for a moment before she nodded and sprinted down the alley behind her sister. When she reached the dumpsters she looked over her shoulder and James was gone.

  “He’ll be okay. He knows what he’s doing,” Dakota told her and pulled her behind the dumpsters with him and Lis. They had just ducked out of view when they heard tires screech and brakes squeal.

  “He’s going to kill him,” Rachel realized and was slightly surprised that the thought didn’t bother her more than it did.

  “Most likely,” Dakota breathed almost silently then pressed his finger to his lips when he heard a car door shut.

  “So you figured out you were being followed and you decided to play a little game of cat and mouse?” Easton’s repugnant voice sounded down the alley and Lis started feeling physically ill at just the sound.

  “I think he’s drunk,” she mouthed silently and Dakota nodded his agreement.

  “Come on now, I haven’t got all day and I’m too old for childish games. Come out so we can have a chat,” he yelled out. They could hear the slight slur of his words and knew that if they popped their heads up they’d be shot at.

  “Hello, Easton,” they heard James’ voice say from the area Easton’s voice had been coming from. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You have a gun aimed directly at your head and if you make even the slightest move I will scatter what’s left of your grey matter all over this alley.”

  “Well, well, well, it seems like you aren’t a dumb as I thought,” Easton said as he slowly raised his hands. Dakota, Lis, and Rachel stood up just as Easton started to turn toward James. “But I have a little surprise for you. My car is rigged with explosives and is set to blow in about three minutes. I’m not afraid to die, are you?”

  “Not at all,” James told him just before he pulled the trigger and shot Easton right between the eyes. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

  Without hesitation they ran to the SUV and James darted out of the alley before any of them could put their seat belts on. By the time the explosion happened they were at the other end of the street, but the blast shook the SUV as they rounded the corner and sped away from the scene.

  “That was too fucking close,” Dakota said after they were well away from the alley.

  “I agree,” James nodded his head and glanced at Rachel. “I really didn’t want you to see me kill him.”

  “That isn’t the first time I saw a man get killed and I’m certain it won’t be the last. Let’s just get home,” she responded and he nodded his head at her.

  “James, stop the car,” Dakota said suddenly and James screeched to a halt just outside the gates of the mansion. “Everyone out!”

  “Why? What’s wrong?” Lis asked as she unbuckled her seat belt and got out.

  “Just a feeling,” he told them and dropped to the ground. He gazed under the SUV for a moment then rose to his feet. “Fuck.”

  “What’s wrong?” James asked as he dropped to the ground and looked as well. “That son of a bitch. The SUV is rigged, too. It’s on a timer and could go at any time.”

  “Then why are we still standing here?” Rachel asked and sprinted to the gate. After she punched the code they all darted through. They just made it past the guard shack when the SUV blew. The force of the explosion threw them to the ground.

  “Fuck!” Dakota yelled as he scrambled to cover Lis’ body with his own.

  “I’m okay,” she yelled over the roaring in her head.

  “Rachel, James?” Dakota yelled.

  “We’re okay,” they both answered back.

  As the four of them rose to their feet, Dakota and James darted to the ruined guard shack and grabbed the two fire extinguishers in there. As they worked on putting out the burning SUV, Lis looked at her sister and sighed.

  “Easton was never following us to hurt us on the road. He was following us so he’d know we went straight home. He wanted that explosion to happen after the SUV was parked in the garage. He wanted to blow us up, house and all.”

  “He may have been out of the game, but he was still a devious old bastard,” Rachel said as she watched Dakota and James work.

  A couple minutes later the fire was out and James and Dakota walked over to where they were standing. “That son of a bitch wanted to blow the fucking house up with us in it,” Dakota said and Lis and Rachel nodded.

  “We’ve determined that already,” Lis told him then sighed. “You’re bleeding. I bet you pulled your stitches. Let’s get home so I can clean you up.” Dakota smiled at her as they started walking down the long drive toward the house.

  “You know, I may need a little TLC myself,” James said with a lopsided grin and Rachel punched him.

  “Then call up one of your whores. I’m sure they will be honored to service you,” she spat out and jogged the rest of the way to the house. She darted up the steps and was inside before they had time to react.

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  “What the fuck was that about?” Dakota asked as Lis took off after her sister.

  “Earlier today, while you were in the hospital, we ran into one of my exes and she may or may not have propositioned me in front of Rachel.”

  “How did you react?” Dakota asked and James sighed.

  “Not well,” he answered honestly. “I took her number and let her kiss me.”

  Dakota shook his head and chuckled. “No wonder she’s been staring daggers at you all day. What the fuck were you thinking?”

  “I was thinking that Rachel and I aren’t together. Dakota, I love her more than I have ever loved anyone in my life, but the fact is we are not a couple. If I want to go out and bang every single woman in Boston, I’m free to do so. I wouldn’t and I won’t be using that phone number, but the fact is, I could and Rachel would have no right to be pissed about it.”

  “Have you told her how you feel? Have you asked her what her feelings toward you are?” Dakota asked and James shook his head. “Well, don’t you think that would be the place to start?”

  “Oh, you mean like you did with Lis when she agreed to marry Morrison?” James countered and shook his head. “I’m sorry, man. That was out of line. She drives me so crazy sometimes that all I want to do is scoop her up and show her just how I feel and other times I just want to say fuck it and walk away from her.”

  Dakota chuckled and nodded his head. “I feel you there. There are times I just want to bend Lis over my knee and spank her like she should have been when she was younger, but just the thought of that makes me grow hard and I know it would turn sexual.”

  “I haven’t had sex in three years,” James confessed and Dakota looked at him in surprise.

  “Why the fuck not?”

  “I’ve dated a few women, but every time I thought about taking them to bed Rachel popped into my mind and I couldn’t do it. I feel like I’m going crazy most of the time. I can’t get her out of my head.”

  “James, you need to tell her how you feel. Her reaction tells me her feelings are similar to yours. You need to talk to her. You need to tell her how you feel.”

  “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I do need to tell her how I feel. Maybe then I can get her out
of my head.”

  “Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” Dakota asked and James shook his head.

  “I know it’s not and I know that she’s not only in my head, but she’s imbedded herself in my heart as well.”

  ***

  As James and Dakota stood on the porch talking, Lis and Rachel sat in Rachel’s bedroom and talked.

  “Rachel, you need to tell him how you feel. He needs to know that you’re in love with him.”

  “I can’t. What if he doesn’t feel the same way? When I saw him with that woman today it felt like the floor dropped out from under me. I was crushed. I need to shake this infatuation I have with him and move on with my life.”

  “Rach, how are you going to do that? How are you going to walk away from him? You feel the same way about him that I feel about Dakota. He is who your heart wants. Are you really going to give that up because he let his dick control his mind for a minute?”

  “What if he lets his dick control his mind after we’ve been together? I couldn’t deal with having him then losing him.”

  “Rachel, he’s been your security head for four years. How many women have you seen him with in that amount of time?”

  “Four,” she answered without hesitation.

  “Four women in four years? Think about that for a minute and you will see that he isn’t one who normally lets his dick lead him. He’s a good guy, Rachel. Give him a chance to prove that to you. Don’t give up on what you want because of one little mishap.”

  “If Dakota allowed something like that to happen, how would you react?”

  “I would be pissed as hell and hurt deep, but there’s a difference here,” she said and Rachel looked at her. “Dakota and I are together. You and James aren’t. In all reality you have absolutely no right to be upset with him. He doesn’t know how you feel about him and you two aren’t together.”

  Rachel looked at her for a second before she covered her face with her hands and let the tears flow. “You’re right. I am acting like a jealous girlfriend when in reality I am nothing but a job to him.”

  “You are a hell of a lot more than a job to him, Rach. Today, when Aaran Nadas was in the balcony of the church and you fell to the floor, James had a look of sheer terror on his face. He was out of his chair and beside you before anyone else could move.”

  “He knows if I die he’s out of a job,” Rachel said and Lis burst out laughing.

  “If you believe that then you’re either lying to yourself or you’re stupid. James cares about you and its time you and he both admitted your feelings to the other.”

  Rachel opened her mouth to argue, but was silenced by a soft knock on the door.

  “If I had to guess, I’d say that’s the man in question now,” Lis said and grinned. “Tell him how you feel, Rach. I promise you’ll both feel better afterwards.”

  Lis rose and walked to the door. When she opened it she looked into James’ eyes for a moment before she smiled and patted his cheek. “I know how you feel about her, but she needs to know, too,” she told him softly before she walked away.

  James watched her leave then took a deep breath and walked into the room.

  He shut the door behind him and walked over the bed where she was sitting. “Rachel, we need to talk.”

  “Yes we do, James,” she agreed and looked at him with watery eyes.

  Seeing the tears in her eyes almost broke him and he sank to his knees in front of her. “I am in love with you. I have been for the past four years.”

  Rachel looked at him for a second before she smiled and said, “I am in love with you, too.”

  James’ face broke into a smile so big she was surprised his cheeks didn’t break and he rose to his feet. When he scooped her into his arms and finally kissed her after all this time, she truly felt like she was home.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  “James, about this morning,” Rachel started and James silenced her with a soft kiss.

  “I need to tell you something about this morning. When that nurse recognized me I was slightly in shock because I dated her when I was twenty-five years old. I haven’t seen nor heard from her in seven years, Rach. She was someone I once had fun with. I let the memories come back, but that was a long time ago and I was a different person back then. She was an army nurse and I was running recon for the marines when we met. I was injured and she helped me a lot. While I was on leave she and I hooked up a few times, but that’s all it was.”

  “James, you have no reason to explain anything to me. You and I aren’t together and I had no right to react the way I did.”

  “Rachel, I tossed her number as we left the hospital. I have no need for her phone number when I have the woman I am totally and completely in love with beside me daily. I know we aren’t a couple at the moment, but I would really like for us to be. You are so much more to me than anyone has ever been and I want nothing more than to make you mine.”

  Rachel looked at him for a moment before she smiled and caressed his face. “You already have my heart. You’ve had it for a long time now.”

  “Rach, I have to tell you something. Something that’s a little embarrassing actually.”

  “What could possibly be that embarrassing?” She asked curiously.

  “I haven’t been with a woman in three years,” he confessed and dropped his gaze to the floor.

  “Are you telling me that you haven’t had sex in three years?” She asked cautiously. When he nodded she smiled softly. “Then I have to tell you something, too. I have never had sex.”

  “Wait, what?” He asked, slightly taken aback by her words. “Rach, you’re a virgin?”

  “I am. Is that a problem?” She asked, slightly nervous about his reaction.

  “No. I just thought... I just assumed... Hell, I have no idea what I thought and assumed,” he said and ran his hand down his face. “I guess I just didn’t expect it is all. I mean, the world that we live in and the times being what they are, I guess I just assumed you’d have taken that step with one of your suitors over the years.”

  “None of them ever ignited that spark inside of me. None of them ever made me want to take that step with them. None of them were you,” she explained and he smiled at her.

  “That’s the same reason I haven’t had sex in three years. None of them were you,” he told her and brushed her hair from her face. “I dated, which you know, but I was never able to get you out of my head long enough to do more than kiss her goodbye and leave. You were there, in my head and in my heart all the time. I couldn’t get you out. I eventually stopped trying to and gave up on dating. No woman held my interest like you. No woman had ever filled my head the way you do.”

  “Why did we wait so long?” Rachel asked and sighed. “You don’t have to answer that because I already know. I was the boss’ daughter and you were my head of security. In reality we should never be together. In reality we will never work.”

  “I’m tired of focusing on what shouldn’t be and I am ready to focus on what can be. Rachel. You keep telling Lis that she and Dakota are meant to be together. Why can’t it be the same for you and I?”

  “I don’t know. I guess I just never thought you wanted anything beyond a boss and employee relationship with me. I guess I just assumed you would eventually move on and I’d be left here.”

  James looked at her for a moment before he lowered his head and captured her lips with his. The kiss left no room for her to doubt his feelings. When he pulled away she looked into his eyes and saw a passion she had never seen on his face before.

  “Rachel, I want you with a fierceness I have never felt before, but we have a problem.”

  “What’s that?” She asked.

  “I’m scared I’ll hurt you,” he told her and she smiled.

  “I’m not afraid,” she countered and crawled into his lap. “I’ve never been afraid of you.”

  When she straddled him and locked her lips on his, all fear and worry fled his mind and was replaced with a d
eep desire to satisfy her every need.

  ***

  “I hope those two are finally getting past this and moving toward where we both know they want to be,” Lis told Dakota as she started preparing a light dinner for everyone.

  “I’m sure they are, Lis, and if they’re not then they both need to be slapped,” he told her and she chuckled.

  “I’m just worried that they’re going to continue this little game they’re playing and both wind up deeply hurt.”

  “I’m worried about that, too, but Lis, they’re both adults and we have to let them figure this out for themselves. We can only push them so far before they have to step forward on their own and see what’s right in front of them.”

  “I know you’re right, but she’s my baby sister and I worry about her,” Lis said and turned away.

  Dakota rose from his seat and wrapped his arms around her from behind. “I know, baby, but we have to remember that James loves her and she loves him. We have to trust that they will do what’s best for them. We have to have faith that they will take the steps necessary to find happiness.”

  “I know you’re right,” she told him as she turned in his arms. “Dinner is going to take about 30 minutes to bake. Why don’t you take my mind off of James and Rachel?”

  “Gladly,” he agreed and locked his mouth on hers in a deep, searing kiss.

  When they came up for air a moment later, Dakota lifted her off her feet and sat her on the kitchen counter. Thankful she’d changed into a loose skirt after she’d cleaned his wound earlier, he pushed it to her hips and pulled her black lace panties off. Without skipping a beat, she spread her legs for him and he was buried inside her before she realized he’d unbuttoned his jeans.

  “Oh, God,” she cried as he stroked her deeply.

  “Yes, baby,” he panted as his hips moved quickly. He knew this was going to be over quickly for him so he found her clit with his fingers and started circling it. When she cried out her release a moment later he came with her, filling her with his seed.

  “Oh, shit,” he said and pulled out of her. “Fuck, I am so stupid.”