KILLER INSTINCT (A Mafia Bad Boy Romance Novel) (5 page)

Someone like Jackie.

I didn’t know where that thought came from. He wasn’t anything like the boys I knew. He looked only a few years older than me but talking to him was like talking to someone who was dad’s age. He seemed mature beyond his years. I wondered what caused him to grow up so quickly.

I paid for the milk and left to go home. There were some services that delivered groceries to you directly at any time of the day. I wasn’t so keen on that since I liked to give my legs a stretch, even in the middle of the night.

It would’ve been an uneventful trip if a luxury sedan didn’t stop right in front of me. A group of three middle-aged men in black suits stepped out of the car. I tried to ignore them and go about my business. However, one of them called out to me.

“Excuse me, miss,” one of the men said, moving to block my path. He wore dark sunglasses in the middle of the night for some reason. “I need you to come with us.”

They looked too professional to be street hustlers. “Is there a problem?”

The man’s shades hid his eyes. “You’re under arrest for stealing.”

“I paid for the milk,” I said incredulously. I looked back at the man as if this was a staring contest. His weird shades made it difficult to win. “Here’s the receipt-”

“Just come with us,” he interrupted, speaking with a distinctly Eastern European accent. I had no plans of going along with these shady characters. “It’s about your father.”

My eyes widened in shock. “My father? Did something happen to him?”

The man grabbed me by the arm. “Come with us.”

I slapped the hand away. “I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on!”

The man held onto me again with an even stronger grip. “Come with us if you want this to be painless!”

I wasn’t some trained fighter. Not by a long shot. But instinct overtook my fear.

Dropping the bag of groceries, I yanked my arm free from the man. He wasn’t so eager to let me escape. My feet tried to kick him but he turned me around by my forearm. Then, he slapped the back of my head. “Quiet, you bitch!”

I responded my kneeing him in the groin.

He immediately dropped onto the ground and doubled over in pain. The two other men were stunned by what had just happened. I didn’t need to see through their sunglasses to know they empathized with their fallen comrade.

Now was my chance to escape.

The two remaining men yelled after me and gave chase. I wasn’t on the college track team but adrenaline gave me the spring I needed in my step. Thankfully, a crowd began to form and block their path.

There might have been two grown men chasing me but I knew these streets by heart. I zig-zagged between the serpentine streets of the city. For good measure, I even double backed through an intersection to throw them off my trail.

Finally, I took some rest in an empty alleyway.

My heart raced like a jackhammer. I thought of my father who was in danger. Whoever these men were, they were trying to get to him through me. I had to get to Daddy and warn him. I cursed myself for not carrying my phone.

I raced to my apartment. A part of me knew it would be dangerous. If they could ambush me in the middle of the streets, then they probably knew where I lived. However, I had to find my father and tell him what happened.

Ignoring the elevator, I raced up the flight of stairs. Daddy had to be okay. I had already lost mom. I couldn’t lose my only remaining family to these strange men.

More out of exhaustion than caution, I peeked into the hallway that led to my apartment.

I instantly froze when I saw a pair of men wearing dark suits standing outside our apartment. The door was open and the men seemed to be on guard. Someone came out from the doorway who didn’t look like the other two men.

One of the two strange men had one eye. The other eye socket was covered by an eye patch. I could tell he was dangerous from just the way his single eye scanned the hallway.

I had to cover my mouth to keep myself from gasping when I recognized the man who had just come out of my apartment.

It was one of the employees from my father’s job. I think his name was Harold Colman. My father had said he was the one to have brought in those people who tried to bribe him.

I leaned in to hear what he had to say.

“He didn’t put up much of a fight.”

“Damn it!” said one of the other well-dressed men. He was the one with two eyes. “You didn’t need to make a mess. You’re tracking blood all over the floor. We’re going to have to call in the cleaners. Thank God everyone is asleep at this time.”

My heart sank.

My father’s killer spoke again. “Hey, I tried to offer him the easy way out but he tried to fight back. What can you do to a rabid dog other than put it down for good? Besides, you’re the one who told me to take care of him if he caused trouble.”

The one-eyed man spoke. “Not like this. This is for only the most troublesome pests.”

The other man warned Harold. “If this costs us, it’ll be your head on the line. Mr. Gregori is not going to like this.”

“There’s still the girl,” Harold continued. “I’m not the one who let her get away. That’s your loose end to tie up. How’d some college girl even sleep past three of your best men?”

The man with one eye paused before speaking. “I said we’d find her and take care of her.”

I felt faint. My knees were turning into jelly. Worse, the two men we’re heading to me.

I was exhausted from running up the stairs. I wouldn’t be able to escape or slip past them. I slumped against the door next to me in defeat.

That’s when I saw the door behind me.

It was apartment number six-three-six. That was where Jackie lived. I didn’t know the young man very well but I needed his help. I knocked on the door.

I prayed that he returned from whatever business he had to attend to.

I knocked again before whispering. “Please open up. It’s me Kelly.”

I could hear the footsteps of the two men approaching me. Even if they took the elevator, they would still notice me. I needed somewhere to hide and fast.

The footsteps got louder.

I knocked harder.

I was about to give up all hope.

That’s when the door began to open.

I didn’t even need to look through the door’s peep hole to know who it was. I could sense it was Kelly. The young woman had this strange aura around her that was driving my sixth sense haywire. She would be the end of my career as a hitman if anyone ever used her against me.

After coming home from a fruitless meeting, all I wanted was a night of rest.

The meeting had been interesting enough. Some of our Russian rivals were getting bolder. Some members of the family wanted to strike back at them. Others didn’t want to rock the boat and attract the FBI. There was no point in cutting the nose to spite the face.

However, no one could make final decision without Don Pastore having his say. I knew my grandfather was getting old but it was yet another meeting he had missed. Frank Pesci, the underboss, held the meeting. I would’ve worried about my grandfather’s health if I didn’t hate that man so much.

Nonetheless, I was glad to be out of that meeting as soon as possible.

Now, some neighbor was knocking on my door.

I barely knew Kelly. She was just this forgettable college girl who I profiled before moving in this apartment. We had barely even seen each other before today. I didn’t know why she was banging on my door and asking to be let in.

Then again, there were these strange men making rounds in this hallway. One of them was American but the rest sounded native Russian. They had the nasal whine in their accents I’ve always associated with the criminal type from border of Ukraine. What the hell was the Russian mob doing here?

This got a lot more interesting.

With a handgun held behind my back, I ever so slightly opened the door. “What do you want?”

Tear-stained eyes greeted me. “It’s me, Kelly. You have to let me in!”

I hated when a woman turned on the waterworks. Most men say a woman’s best weapon is between their legs but it was their tears that always got to me. I never liked seeing a woman cry any more than I liked seeing my late mother in tears.

I tightened the grip I had on my handgun. If this was a trick to lure me out, I had to admit it was a clever one. The only question was why she was here. “What’s wrong?”

“They’re after me!” she whispered in desperation. “I don’t know why but they’ll kill me. Please, you have to help me!”

I heard footsteps from the men in question. The smarter side of me told me to not get involved. If this was the Russian mob, then I had no reason to get caught in the crossfire. The Pastore family looked like saints next to these guys.

Then again, the Russians had been making a power play lately. It wouldn’t be long before they were in open conflict with all of the big Italian families over territory and their less than legitimate businesses. It wouldn’t necessarily be good for someone in my line work.

Hitmen were valuable during peacetime. We were silent and efficient in our assassination techniques. If you needed someone gone while maintaining your plausible deniability, I was the man you came to see. Mob wars required brute force and foot soldiers. I wasn’t as valuable in an all-out gang war.

Besides, I never would miss an opportunity to fuck over the Russian mob. We had history between us. It went back to the death of my mother.

“Get in.”

Kelly rushed as I closed the door and clamped the lock shut. The footsteps outside passed us without incident. She had just missed whoever was after her. I gave a good peek through the peephole to make sure the coast was clear.