Salvatore: A Mafia Romance Read online

  S A L V A T O R E

  T.O. Smith

  For Riley, my reason for everything I do.

  OTHER BOOKS BY T.O. SMITH

  Bloody Royals Trilogy

  Bloody Royals

  Black Skulls

  Bloody Black Skulls

  Unexpected Babies Duet

  A New Start

  His Secret

  Saving Tracey Duet

  Saving Tracey

  Saving Lucas

  Helping Lilac

  Rescuing Eloise

  Feeling Again

  Under His Protection

  Boss

  Carter & Lacie

  Silver

  Little Reaper

  His Dead Bride

  © T.O. Smith. All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover design: Canva Designs

  Editing: T.O. Smith

  Proofreading: T.O. Smith

  ISBN-10: 1977707413

  ISBN-13: 978-1977707413

  O N E

  Four years in an orange jumpsuit really changes a woman.

  I had thought family was supposed to be everything. We were supposed to protect our own. But that hadn’t happened for me.

  My family had cost me four years of my freedom.

  And fifteen years of probation after that.

  And the only reason I was out this early was because of my exceptional behavior. I had kept my head down and my mouth shut while I was inside.

  Now that I was finally out and a somewhat free woman again, I was determined to stay clear of anything that could land me back in that fucking hell again. I was done with the drugs, the late-night runs.

  And I was completely done with family.

  Today, I was finally going for an interview – my first and only interview that had been offered to me since I had been out. Everyone else had said that they couldn’t hire me because of my background. One bad time in someone’s life, and suddenly it all seems ruined.

  My fingers were crossed that I would get this job. If I didn’t get a job soon, it would be a violation of my probation. I knew if I lowered my standards a bit and just waitressed in some dump of a restaurant, or worked behind the counter at some gas station, I would be alright. But that would be putting my life at risk.

  Family tended to frequent those places too often.

  I walked through the sliding glass doors of the huge building in front of me that was named Bianchi Enterprises. My second-hand Goodwill heels clicked against the glistening, white tile floor as I strode forward towards the receptionist’s desk. A young, blonde woman sat behind it, and she looked up at me with a fake smile as I strode forward.

  “Welcome to Bianchi Enterprises.” She greeted, her voice tainted with fake politeness. “How can I help you?” She asked me.

  “I’m here for an interview with Mr. Bianchi.” I informed her, not bothering to place a smile on my face as I looked down at her.

  It hurt way too much these days to even try to force one of those across my lips.

  She nodded as she grabbed the phone on her desk. “I’ll let his receptionist know that you’re here.” She told me. “If you’ll just go on over to those elevators,” she said, pointing towards the elevators off to the side of the massive entry area, “and ride up to the thirty first floor, his receptionist, Miss Greenland, will help you from there.” She told me.

  With a single nod in answer, I strode over to the elevators, feeling her distasteful look on my back. Hell, I could at least give her pointers for being pleasant to my face. Most people couldn’t manage it, especially when you could just look at me and tell that everything I wore was from a thrift store.

  When I got up to the thirty first floor, I strode off of the elevator and headed down a small hallway until it opened to a wide, open area with another blonde woman sitting behind a desk similar to the one downstairs.

  Were all women in this building blonde? Did he have a fetish for women like us?

  “Sasha Reids?” She asked, looking up at me.

  I nodded at her. “Yes.” I simply answered, keeping my blue-eyed gaze locked on hers, not the least bit intimidated by her.

  She nodded and got up from her desk, gesturing for me to follow her. “Mr. Bianchi is ready for you.” She informed me as she strode over to a set of wooden double doors.

  She knocked lightly. “Come in.” A gruff voice spoke from the other side, giving Miss Greenland permission to open the door.

  She pushed open one of the doors and gestured for me to go ahead and walk in. As soon as I stepped into Mr. Bianchi’s office, my eyes instantly landed on one of the most handsome I had ever seen in my life. Dark, wavy hair fell over his forehead, curling around his ears slightly, showing that he was in desperate need of a trim. A hint of a five o’clock shadow darkened his cheeks and jawline. Emotionless, dark eyes stared back at me through extremely dark lashes, quietly assessing me.

  “Thank you, Miss Greenland. You may return to your desk. Close the door on your way out.” He ordered, not even casting her a glance.

  His receptionist nodded once before leaving the room, following his instructions to close the door behind her. The man before me stood up from his desk, and I instantly took note of his tall, powerful frame. He was well over six feet, probably close to six and half feet tall, and his shoulders were broad, easily revealing the amount of hard muscle this man packed onto his body. The suit he wore tastefully fit him, giving off hints of the body beneath the clothing.

  “Sasha Reids, correct?” He asked as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his black slacks.

  “Yes, sir.” I told him.

  He held his hand out to shake mine, and I instantly placed my hand in his, not at all shocked at how strong and firm his grip was. I kept my gaze level with his, not a hint of intimidation in my features, and I saw a hint of a smirk twitch at his lips in response.

  The damn man was amused by me!

  He released my hand and gestured to one of the comfortable-looking leather chairs in front of his desk. “Take a seat.” He instructed, his deep, smooth voice wrapping around me like velvet.

  Get a grip, I silently scolded myself.

  Doing as he stated, I sat down as he strode back around his desk and took his seat again. He steepled his fingers together on his desk and looked up at me with that unsettling gaze again. I resisted the urge to squirm in my seat. Something about his gaze and the way he assessed me set off little alarms in my head.

  The man in front of me was something dangerous and definitely something to be feared. I just didn’t know who he was.

  “Before I move forward with this position with you, Miss Reids, I need you to understand that the illegal activities that you were involved in will not be tolerated while you work with me. If there is even a whisper of you getting involved in illegal activities again while you work for me, I won’t care for an explanation.” He warned me. “It will be grounds for an immediate termination.”

  I swallowed thickly, but I nodded my head. There was no way in hell I was risking this job. “I understand, sir.”

  He nodded. “Good.” He stated. “I’m binding you to a contract so that you understand how serious I am about this. You can t
ake the time to read it over if you’d like, but it just clearly states that no illegal activities of any kind will be tolerated while you work for me.” He stated as he grabbed a couple of papers that were stapled together and set them in front of me with a pen.

  Sighing softly, I scribbled my signature at the bottom with the date and slid it back over to him. I could very well be signing my soul over to the devil, but if it secured me a job that offered at least a little bit of protection from my family, then I frankly didn’t give a damn. The devil was a welcome comrade over them.

  Mr. Bianchi nodded and set the paperwork aside to probably be filed later. “Now, for the job I called you for.” He began. I couldn’t help but to notice how damn kissable his lips looked, and I instantly cursed myself.

  Man, I really needed to get a grip on myself. This was unacceptable.

  “You will report to work at eight in the morning every day, and you will work until I give you the permission to go home.” I nodded in understanding. “Some days, my schedule runs until late at night, and I will need you available to me. Also, every once in a while, I will require you to attend business trips with me where you will be required to fly and stay in a hotel. Does that pose any kind of issue for you?”

  “No, sir.” I assured him.

  He nodded his head. “Good. You will attend all of my business meetings with me, and you will take notes throughout them, type them up, and email them to me. I will need you to organize all of my files as it’s been a while since I’ve had a PA, and they’ve all gotten out of hand.”

  I nodded in understanding. “Every morning right after you come in, I will need you to go to the café on the third floor and get my coffee. They’ll have it ready for me. Just tell them that you’re there to pick it up for me.”

  “Got it.” I told him.

  He nodded. “Good. Just sign these papers.” He said as he slid more stapled papers in my direction. “It’s just a one-year contract to work for me.” He assured me at my confused look. “I do this with all of my employees. You may not quit without just cause, and even then, I have to give you the permission to leave. You must let me know a month in advance before the ending of your contract if you’d wish to continue working for me.”

  “Okay.” I breathed. I grabbed the pen and signed my name at the bottom of that one as well.

  He took it back and set it on the stack with the others before he nodded at me. “Good. I’ll go ahead and have you start today, Sasha. Miss Greenland will show you where your desk is, and she will give you everything that you need to be able to clock in and out every day and to give you access to your computer.”

  “Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Bianchi.” I told him sincerely, meaning every word from the depths of my soul.

  He just looked at me with that unnerving, dark gaze again. “Do not thank me, Sasha. Just prove to me that my decision will not be one I will regret.”

  I nodded, turning to leave the room.

  ✣ ✣ ✣

  All day long, I spent my day listening to Mr. Bianchi’s recorded meetings from before I had gotten hired. I made notes as instructed and typed them up, emailing them to him as I completed each one. By the time lunch was rolling around, I didn’t want to hear another fucking meeting.

  “Sasha, you may go to lunch now.” Mr. Bianchi’s voice came through my phone speaker, making me jump and clench my pen in self-defense.

  Blowing out a small breath to calm my nerves, I answered him back. “Thank you. What time do I need to be back?” I asked him.

  “Go ahead and take an hour.” He told me. “Enjoy.”

  I got up from my desk and rode the elevator down to the bottom floor, striding out onto the street. I knew there was a small park nearby, and I just really needed some fresh air. Since I was completely broke until I would begin getting paid, I had nothing to buy myself food with.

  But that was okay. I was used to going hungry these days.

  I sighed softly as I sat down on a bench and watched the little kids run around screaming and laughing on the playground, their parents watching them with small smiles on their faces, others recording them playing.

  It was the kind of childhood I had never gotten to experience.

  “Could have told me you were out of prison, Little Sis.”

  I jerked up from the bench I had been sitting on and spun around to face my older brother who was on the other side of it, a smirk twisting his lips. I swallowed hard, clenching my fists at my sides as I narrowed my eyes at him. “How the fuck did you find me?” I demanded to know. I had been extra careful to cover my tracks to make sure my family wouldn’t be able to find me.

  He shrugged. “The prison called me when they released you, telling me to come pick you up.” I swallowed thickly. It had to be their doing because I had specifically requested that no family be called. “But when I got there, I was a bit surprised to find you had already taken off. Hiding from me, Little Sis?” He asked, his voice dropping to a deadly tone.

  I defensively crossed my arms over my chest, not trusting him. He had run the fuck off when the drug deal had gone bad. Those bikers hadn’t wanted to buy from us. They wanted to destroy us.

  And they almost accomplished destroying me, all thanks to my fucking brother who left me behind.

  All those times that I had saved his ass meant absolute shit to him because the one time I needed him to save mine, he was running in the other direction without a second thought for me.

  I remembered all too well the pain I felt when three men rushed at me, roughly tackling me to the ground and yanking my arms behind my back to bind my wrists together. My brother had sent me one last look over his shoulder and continued running, not allowing himself to be taken as well, and certainly not bothering to help me.

  Fuck blood being thicker than water.

  “Not going to answer me?” He asked as he came around the bench to stand in front of me.

  “I’ve got nothing to say to you.” I snarled at him. “I’m clean, Rob. I’m done with all of that shit. I’m doing everything legally this time around. You’re wasting your fucking time by trying to get me to come back home.”

  Home. What a bullshit term to use.

  He angrily clenched his jaw, and I stepped back from him instinctively. I remembered the kind of damage he could do when he got angry. My face had taken way too many beatings to ever forget.

  “You’re never done, Sasha. You’re family. Your fate was sealed for you the moment you were born.” He sneered at me.

  “You’ll have to kill me.” I snarled at him. A sick smirk twisted his lips. “I’ll be damned if I ever come back to the family. The only way I’m coming back is when you bury my cold, dead body in the fucking backyard.”

  A smirk twisted his lips, but it was cold and sadistic. It left fear crawling down my spine, but I never let it show on my face. “You’re lucky there’s women and children around here, or I’d do just that, Sasha. Watch your back.” He warned me. “Either come home, or get buried in a shallow grave. Your choice.”

  He stormed off, leaving me behind with my stomach churning in fear.

  Family was meant to protect you.

  Mine was absolute bullshit.

  T W O

  I absentmindedly tapped my fingers on the bar, not really drinking anything. I was just waiting for most of the bar life to die down so I could crash in the back until I had to get up for work in the morning. The owner remembered me from when I was a teen. I had always been trying to find somewhere to crash away from home, and he had offered me his back room to sleep in.

  Nothing had changed. The moment he saw me again, he pressed the key into my hand with a small smile and went back to work.

  I felt something cold and steel press against my back through my shirt, and I cursed softly. I couldn’t escape this shit no matter what I did. “Let’s go have a chat, Little Sis.”

  I got up from my chair, letting Robert guide me through the crowded bar to the exit. He led me around the side t
owards the alley, stopping right at the edge of it. “Now, let’s have a proper chat, Little Sis.” He sneered.

  ✣ ✣ ✣

  S A L V A T O R E

  I leaned against the side of the building with my brother, Vincent, by my side. Our bodyguards stayed off towards the shadows, careful not to draw attention to themselves. They kept an eye on the area around us as they talked amongst themselves, pretending to be bar patrons instead of actual bodyguards.

  “The hell made you hire a girl straight out of prison?” Vincent asked me as he took a drag off the massive cigar in his hand.

  I shrugged. “It would make a hypocrite of me if I didn’t.” I reminded him. We were sons of the don, after all. We were one of the worst criminals there was. Vincent snorted. “Besides, I was careful and bounded her by a contract so that she faces more prison time if she gets caught up in any more stupid shit. You know as well as I do that I’ll know if she tries anything dumb.” I reminded him.

  Vincent nodded. “And what did she even go to prison for?” He asked me.

  I sighed, leaning my head back. “Grand theft, arson, illegal fighting, attempted murder, and a few other things.” I informed him. Vincent arched an eyebrow at me. I shrugged. “It was a pretty long list, but I figured a woman with that kind of criminal background might actually be handy to have around.” I admitted. “If some random, bad shit were to go down, she can definitely handle herself.”

  Vincent opened his mouth to reply, but he quickly snapped his jaw back shut when the sound of arguing from the alley on the other side of the bar reached our ears. We both straightened up, our bodyguards already moving forward towards the sound. I cleared my throat and made a motion for them to stand back as I moved forward with Vincent, my gun held in my hand at my side as I edged along the wall.