BOW DOWN: A Bad Boy Mafia Romance (Barone Crime Family) (18 page)

F
or the first
time in a very, very long time, I felt like I was home.

The breeze was cool on my skin as I sat out on the balcony, Chicago spreading out below me. I could see cars snaking down along the streets, but just barely. The baby monitor was on beside me, and I could just barely make out the soft breaths of Evie as she slept. She was a gray blob on the monitor’s screen, and I smiled to myself.

The sliding glass door to our apartment opened up. “You okay out here?”

I looked up and Lucas smiled at me.

“Great, thanks.”

He stepped out onto the balcony and walked over to the railing, leaning against it. My brother was a tall, handsome man, and he’d grown so much over the last few years.

“Saw Wyatt on TV earlier,” he said.

“Did you now?”

“Gave some speech about crime.”

I laughed. “Ironic?”

“Ironic,” he agreed. “You know, seeing as he puts in with gangsters.”

“Married one and made a little gangster baby with her, too.”

Lucas grinned at me. “Letting Evie into the family business?”

“Maybe,” I said, shrugging. “We’ll have to see what she wants.”

“Good answer. Arturo never asked us what we wanted.”

“No, he didn’t.”

“Do you ever wonder what things would be like if you hadn’t killed him?”

“No,” I said. “Never.”

He smiled softly and nodded. “Good. Sometimes I worry that haunts you, but I’m glad it doesn’t. That asshole isn’t worth a second thought.”

“I don’t have any,” I said.

“The Anatoli brothers were asking about you last night.”

“How are those idiots?”

“Doing well for themselves, actually.”

“I’m surprise you haven’t knocked them off yet.”

“Give it time.” He laughed, shaking his head. “It’s a different world now.”

It really was a different world.

Chicago was at peace. For the first time in a long time, the city wasn’t being torn apart by gang wars. The Russians were being quiet, the Chinese were keeping to themselves, and Lucas was running his men as fairly as he could.

All because the Spiders kept them all in check.

When my father died, the Barone family mafia was torn to pieces. As soon as his heart stopped beating, they were done for. My brother picked up where Arturo left off, but too many people refused to follow him. We squashed them one at a time, until my brother had control of what was once the Barone Crime Family.

I took half of his territory, adding to my own. We then turned to the Russians and beat them back until they begged for mercy. We split half their territory.

The Chinese didn’t need to be threatened. They offered peace immediately and with good terms, so we accepted.

That took two years. It was two years of hard fighting, but in the end I came out on top. Lucas knew who the real power in the city was, but he didn’t seem to mind. He got decent territory and respect, but everything had to come through me and my people.

And Wyatt. Everything I did was funneled through him as well, because I couldn’t have gotten where I was without him. He was the best advisor I could have hoped for, although things got a little crazy toward the end there.

“It’s a better world,” I said.

“Peaceful, that’s for sure.”

“Helps having the mayor of the city on our side.”

He grinned and nodded. “Yeah, that sure does.”

I stretched. “Speaking of my husband, where is he?”

“Should be coming home soon, I think.” Lucas stood. “I should get going.”

“Okay. Thanks for stopping by.”

“Any time.”

I stood and he kissed my cheek. I never thought my big brother would end up helping me babysit, but there he was. The hardened, badass gangster and son of Arturo Barone was a big softie these days, and I loved it.

He waved as he headed back inside. I followed him in, grabbing the baby monitor as I drifted into the apartment that I shared with Wyatt.

It was clean, modern, and beautiful. Of course, I had nothing to do with decorating any of it, since I was way too busy for that. Wyatt had hired a team of people, and they had done a great job.

The only thing that was mine was the huge workstation in the corner. It was my battle rig, my enormous computer system. I smiled as I walked over to it, running my fingers over the computer’s brushed metal case.

I didn’t need to hack anymore. I had plenty of people that could do that for me. But still nothing made me feel more relaxed than moving through cyberspace, breaking into systems and causing havoc wherever I went. It was still a huge rush, although I hadn’t done much with it since Evie was born.

I glanced at the monitor, and she was sleeping soundly still. I smiled to myself.

I never thought I’d be a mother. I knew I’d be a mobster, but that never scared me. When I found out that I was pregnant the night that Wyatt won the mayoral election, I was horrified and elated all at once.

Wyatt never hesitated when I told him. He wrapped his arms around me and let out a loud whoop of excitement, and suddenly things seemed okay.

Every once in awhile, I looked at Evie and wondered what the heck I was going to do. But I was a mother, and I was going to figure it out. I couldn’t do anything else, because I loved that little girl.

Just then, the front door to the apartment opened. Wyatt stepped inside, wearing his best suit, followed by Ethan.

“And send a note to Joanie,” he said. “Make sure she doesn’t try any funny shit.”

“Got it,” Ethan said, writing it down. He turned and left the apartment as Wyatt swept inside, dropping his jacket on the table.

“You’re back,” I said.

He noticed me and a huge smile broke out across his face. I felt a thrill run through me.

The Mayor of Chicago loved me, and I could see it in his eyes every time he saw me. They lit up, bright and excited. He walked across the room and kissed me softly on the lips.

“I’m home,” he said.

“Lucas was just here.”

“I saw him on the way up.”

“Good. He helped out with Evie.”

“Good man, that Lucas.” He kissed me again, wrapping his arms around me.

I felt safe and secure there, and I rested my head on his chest. There was so much that we still had to do, so many problems that needed solving, still so much violence in our city to defeat. But when he was around and I was in his arms, none of that mattered. He made me feel good, made my body feel incredible, and every day was better than the next.

We owned the city. He was the mayor, and I was his queen. I ran the underground, and he ran the politics. Together, we controlled everything, and we were slowly shaping the world into what we wanted.

Human trafficking was outlawed. Some men still dared to attempt it, but they were quickly destroyed by my Spiders. Meanwhile, Wyatt was stamping out crime as much as he could, or at least the crime we didn’t agree with.

“Come on, I want to see my daughter.”

“Just be quiet,” I said. “She’s asleep.”

“I’m always quiet.” I followed him back to the nursery. We slowly peered inside at Evie’s sleeping form.

Wyatt took my hand, holding it firmly in his. I stared up his him as he stared at Evie, his admiration and love so clear, the same look he had when he looked at me.

I stood there in the doorway with him and never wanted to leave. This was how things were meant to be, me and Wyatt and our baby against the world. We were on top, and we were slowly moving upwards.

There was nothing else, and everything else. It didn’t matter what we did, so long as we did it all together. I’d never leave his man’s side, and I knew he’d never leave mine.

My husband, my love, my bay girl’s father. He was everything to me. I squeezed his hand and he squeezed back.

“Come on,” he said softly. “Let’s go enjoy some peace and quiet.”

“Okay,” I said as we moved back into the living room together.

“What do you feel like doing?” he asked.

“Surprise me.”

He smiled. “Okay, then.”

It didn’t matter what we did or where we went, so long as we did it together, it was the best thing in the world.

Finally, for the first time in my life, with Wyatt and my baby girl, I was home. I was truly, truly home, and I was going nowhere.

We were together, always together, and I was the happiest I’d ever been, and always would be.