KILLER INSTINCT (A Mafia Bad Boy Romance Novel) (4 page)

It was a man who didn’t look much older than me.

His sharp handsome features stopped my breath cold. He had a Mediterranean complexion that went well with his dark hair. The man was tall with a muscular build under his tight clothing. I could see a series of spiraling, militaristic tattoos running down his arms.

This had to be Jackie Baccalieri.

And I had walked right into him.

A pixie-looking young woman recoiled in horror after bumping into me. “Oh, I’m so sorry!”

I hated the mere act of walking in this apartment’s halls. It only led to awkward situations like this. With a sigh, I raised up my palms. “No harm, no foul.”

I guessed her to be of college age. She was probably the daughter of that private security expert that had a stick up his ass. I didn’t plan on being on a first name basis with either of them.

Unfortunately, the young woman was on a first name basis with me.

“You must be Jackie Baccalieri.”

The best way to hide was to stay in plain sight. As far as the other tenants were concerned, I was some ex-marine who worked in construction. I kept to myself and didn’t mingle with any other tenants. I didn’t attend the apartment’s social events. I didn’t do anything expect work and sleep.

Most hitmen trip themselves up by trying to keep themselves hidden all the time. I never had the stomach for socializing but I knew the value of being a wolf in sheep’s clothing. “I see that my name is getting around.”

She blushed. “Sorry, that was rude of me. My name is Kelly Chambers.”

I glanced at the elevator. “It looks like we’re both heading down.”

“We are,” she replied, still blushing like a schoolgirl. “I’m in apartment number six-three-two. Where do you live?”

“Six-three-six,” I answered curtly. The professional in me had made a layout of the entire building. I would need it in case of an emergency escape. I had a rented a small suite in downtown as a safe house. I didn’t plan on retreating there if I could help it. Nonetheless, it paid to be prepared in this business. “It’s the one out of the main hallway and next to the staircase. Most people don’t even notice it when they pass by.”

I preferred it that way.

The woman followed me as I hit the down button the elevator. “So… what brings you here, Jackie?”

I had hoped she’d take the hint that I wanted to be left alone. Some people couldn’t help but put their nose in other peoples’ business. Unfortunately for her, my business tended to cut peoples’ noses off and mail it to their families.

“Work mostly,” I answered. It wasn’t too far from the truth. This side of the city had its fair share of contracts. I could find steady work from any number of mafia families, criminal syndicates, or even the CIA in some cases. I still had some of my old military contacts. For now, I was the Pastore family’s go to man for when someone needed to die. “And this was where I was born and raised.”

The elevator came up quickly. I had to admit that the apartment complex wasn’t particularly fancy but the elevators moved like clockwork. In my line of work, you can appreciate things working on time.

The girl’s next question got my attention. “Do you have any family?”

The only family I had left was my grandfather from my mother’s side. I didn’t consider anyone who treated me like a living weapon to be family. “Not anymore.”

The girl looked appalled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“Relax, you’re the first person I’ve had a real conversation with in days,” I chuckled. More to the point, I was actually enjoying the conversation. God, I needed to socialize more. It kept the killer instinct in me at bay. “Most other people lower the heads and walk past me.”

The two of us entered the elevator. It was a long way down to the ground floor. This meant plenty of time for Kelly to interrogate me.

“What do you do for work?” Kelly asked. Something about her enthusiasm was infectious but I had to keep my guard up. “I heard you were in the military.”

“Two tours in Afghanistan,” I answered plainly, hoping she would lose interest. Those were four years of my life in which nothing good happened. I just ate, killed, and slept. Ironically, it might as well have been paradise for a man like me. “I work in construction now.”

It wasn’t a lie since I did technically work for a construction company. A lot of mafia have ties to legitimate businesses. The Pastore family offered me a job of a foreman as cover. I did clock in at the construction site. Instead of building offices, I discussed the details of upcoming hits with whoever hired me.

She nodded. “Sounds interested? You heading out for a party?”

“No, it’s for work,” I answered truthfully. I didn’t know why I was so chatty with someone I barely knew. If she had been a spy from a rival family, she’d have me dead to rights. I needed to keep my distance from her. “I have to attend a meeting. It won’t take long. I’ll be back in less than ten minutes.”

She raised an eyebrow. “A ten minute meeting In the middle of the night? Can’t you have a Skype conversation?”

I shrugged. The mafia sure loved its short late night meetings. I didn’t think we’d get anything productive done, especially with my grandfather racking up absentee days. “My work is never done.”

This felt like the longest elevator ride of my life. I felt like an idiot talking to some college kid like I was a regular human being. Then again, I hadn’t felt human since I killed my first man.

Worst of all, I couldn’t stop but feel drawn to Kelly. I didn’t know what it was about the girl that drew her to me. It certainly wasn’t her looks.

I’ve had my share of beautiful women. The mafia is no stranger to attracting sexy, gold-digging women who’d pretend to fall in love for you in exchange for the right price. They were never anything resembling romance. They were quick fucks that both of us would forget the next morning.

Maybe that was just it. Kelly was so innocent. She was untainted by the wicked world I inhabited. I had slithered in the sludge with all the other bad men that true innocence looked like Moses appearing with the Ten Commandments.

The elevator doors finally opened after what seemed like an eternity.

I wanted to slap myself for acting so weak. Feeling such an attraction was just asking for a trip to the morgue. You couldn’t afford any attachments in my line of work. For Kelly’s sake, I’d best stay away from her.

“I guess this is where we go our separate ways,” she said, looking a little dismayed. “I got to pick up some milk. It was nice talking to you, Jackie.”

I nodded. “Likewise.”

I headed to the other direction towards my destination. The Pastore family wanted to discuss the growing threat of the Russian gangs. They had gotten bolder over the past few months.

It was also a chance to get more information on Sergei Petrov. Not that I expected to learn much. My grandfather never liked my personal vendetta against Petrov. He told me there was more at stake than chasing after some one-eyed Russian. I hated the man for not doing everything in his power to avenge his slain daughter.

Nonetheless, discussing business usually cleared my mind. I could focus on the task at hand instead of some college girl. I was a wolf and she lived in the land of the innocent sheep.

Yet, I couldn’t help but look over my shoulder and watch Kelly disappear into the distance.

This side of the city was dirty. I don’t mean just literally which I guess is true enough. The streets smelt of cheap beer and broken glass. I had to make sure I didn’t step on something dangerous.

At night, it was dirty in another way. The city took on a darker atmosphere. On occasion, prostitutes and hustlers walked through the streets. It was as if the criminals wanted to show everyone that they owned the streets. Anyone of them would try to shake me down for the money I had.

I didn’t know why they built a perfectly good grocery store on the other side of it. I always kept my head down and hoped no one bothered me. At least the area was nicer during the day.

Thankfully, I reached the grocery store without incident. The owner was an elderly Indian man I made small talk with from time to time. I headed in to pick up the brand of milk I liked.

It felt good to be able to get out of the apartment. I didn’t like being cooped up there after experiencing the freedom of college. I missed the friends I had made over there. I wished I had gotten myself a steady boyfriend. Someone who was handsome, mature, and could protect me.