The Killer in You: Love in Midlife, #3

By Karen M. Bryson and Dakota Madison

Falling in love with your boss's wife is never a good idea, especially when you're a mobster.

Mia Corrado can't remember that last time she had sex with her husband, Nicky. He's been preoccupied with his job as the head of New Jersey's most powerful crime family and all of the wild oats he sews on the side.

When Nicky tells Mia he's too busy to attend her college reunion, and wants to send one of his underlings to accompany her, Mia is completely fed up.

Until she discovers it is Luka Russo who will be escorting her. He's handsome, charming and sensitive, definitely not the typical mobster.

Mia is completely captivated by him.

And Luka is just as smitten with Mia.

But if they act on their feelings for each other Luka may end up sleeping with the fishes.

Go BACK TO BOOKMAN with the #LoveinMidlife #ComingofMiddleAge romance series.

Each full-length novel in the LOVE IN MIDLIFE romance series can be read as a stand-alone or as part of the series. Each story features one of the graduates of Bookman College attending their 25th reunion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Short on Time Books
• Release date: Dec 15, 2016
• ISBN: 9781386166313

Book preview

One

Mia

I hate myself every time I do it, but I still do it. I can’t help myself.

I’m parked outside of Carla Mangano’s apartment. She’s a massage therapist and my husband’s most recent piece on the side. I know she rubs a lot more than just his aching muscles and it makes me sick whenever I think about it.

But I still think about it.

Over and over again.

I’m not sure why I’m torturing myself. This isn’t my first rodeo. Nicky and I have been married almost twenty-five years and he’s been engaging in extramarital affairs nearly as long.

But something has changed.

His flings never impacted our sex life before.

It’s been so long I can’t remember the last time Nicky touched me.

When our youngest son, Giovanni, left for college I thought having an empty nest would bring us closer together. I didn’t think Nicky would fly the coop with him.

So here I am at nine thirty at night staring at my husband’s car, which is parked right outside of Carla’s front door.

I know women in my situation always wonder: what does she have that I don’t? In this case it’s simple. She’s twenty-five years younger than I am and she’s got a smoking hot body that hasn’t birthed two children.

I still feel attractive for my age, but I’m definitely not in my twenties anymore. Looking at it from my husband’s point of view: why would he want to drive the old Volvo, as reliable as it may be, when he can take his shiny new sports car for a spin?

The buzz of my cellphone startles me.

Ma! My oldest son, Dominic, practically yells into the phone. Where are you?

How does he know I’m not home? He’s supposed to be studying. He’s a first-year law student at Rutgers.

I went to a movie. I’m on my way home right now.

There’s no food in the house. Not even leftovers.

That’s because there’s been no one home to cook for. Your father has been eating out a lot. Business dinners.

As much as I hate lying to my son I don’t want him to know the extent of his father’s misbehavior.

Dominic isn’t stupid. When he was a teenager he figured out that owning the Pizza King restaurant in our quaint New Jersey town didn’t earn quite enough for us to live our lavish lifestyle.

He knows his father is no saint, but I don’t want him to find out exactly how big of a sinner he truly is.

***

I’ll make you some eggs, I tell Dominic when I enter the kitchen.

He’s sitting at the counter with his nose in a very thick textbook. When he glances up at me I notice the dark circles under his eyes. The poor kid is only twenty-two and he already looks like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Contract Law is kicking my butt, he groans.

So what are you doing home? I grab three eggs and some butter from the fridge and set them on the counter.

I’m happy to see you too.

That’s not what I meant. Your father is paying a lot of money for you to stay in student housing.

He runs his hands through his thick dark hair. It’s just so loud there on the weekends.

Every day my oldest looks more like his father: swarthy and handsome with a big charming smile.

I’m just glad that his father’s looks seem to be the only thing he’s inherited from him. Unlike Nicky, who dropped out of college, Dominic graduated at the top of his class and had his choice of several well-rated law schools.

The irony of a mob boss’s son choosing to become a lawyer was not lost on Nicky. He likes to joke that if the Feds ever catch up with him he’ll already have his legal counsel ready to go.

I remove a frying pan from the cabinet and start on the scrambled eggs for Dominic. He’s always liked them very light and fluffy with extra pepper.

So? I ask as I stir the eggs. Any new love in your life?

When he glances up from his book he scowls. They have us studying so much I barely have time to shower. I definitely don’t have time to date.

You’re young. You still have plenty of time.

You and Dad were already married when you were my age.

We weren’t in law school, I remind him.

What kind of business does Dad have to do this late on a Friday night? he asks.

When the kids were still home Friday night dinner was a big deal. We’d all sit at the dining room table and enjoy a meal together.

Now the dining room feels like a deserted ghost town.

I don’t know, I lie. You know your father.

He rolls his eyes. When’s the last time he actually stepped foot in the Pizza King? He has people running it for him.

He had some of his other business ventures to attend to.

Dominic and I have never had a conversation about what his father’s other business ventures entail, but none of them are legal enterprises.

You look tired, Dominic comments when I hand him his scrambled eggs.

I haven’t had a lot of sleep lately, I admit. Perimenopause I think. One of the symptoms is insomnia.

He scrunches his nose. Do we have to talk about that female stuff?

Well I never gave birth to a daughter, so you are kind of stuck with listening to my complainets, until you bring home a daughter-in-law for me to talk to.

No pressure at all. He shoves some scrambled eggs into his mouth. These are great by the way. Thanks, Ma.

At least one person still appreciates my cooking.

So are you going to stay for the weekend? I ask. Should I buy some groceries?

He shrugs. It’s so much quieter here.

I’ll take that as a yes?

I guess so.

I have to admit that it will be nice to have someone to take care of again, even if it is just for a few days.

***

As I crawl under the covers I stare at Nicky’s unused side of the bed.

When we first got married and he’d see women on the side at least he had the decency to come home at a reasonable hour and wake up in the morning in bed next to his wife.

He doesn’t even bother with the pretense anymore.

Maybe it’s because the boys are gone. He doesn’t have to give the appearance of a devoted husband and father anymore. 

I glance at the invitation for my twenty-fifth college reunion that I left sitting on my nightstand.

I’m not sure I want to go back to Bookman and reminisce with my old classmates, most of whom I haven’t seen since the twentieth century.

Of course it wouldn’t hurt to get out of the house and get away for Labor Day weekend. Maybe a change of scenery would be good. Staying in the charming Bookman Inn might rekindle some of the chemistry between me and Nicky. 

Not being intimate with my husband for so long, not even being touched or held, is making me feel so empty inside.

I’m a married woman with two kids, yet I feel so lonely.

My kids are grown. My husband is rarely home.  Most days I feel useless.

I studied art history in college. In the real world it’s not a very lucrative major. Thankfully I’ve never had to get a job outside the home. I got married a few months after graduation.

Nicky never wanted me to work. He said it would look bad to his friends and associates. It would give the impression that he couldn’t support his family.

Maybe that’s one of the reasons that I’ve never seriously considered the D word, even though leaving Nicky has started to cross my mind lately.

What would I do if I had to get a job? How would I support myself?  Thinking about it makes my stomach knot.

But something has to change. I can’t imagine spending the next forty years of my life, God willing, in a loveless marriage.

I make a decision. Tomorrow I’m going to ask Nicky to go to the reunion with me. I’m going to tell him that we need the time to reconnect.

If our marriage is going to survive we need this.

***

I made pancakes, I tell Dominic when he shuffles into the kitchen.

He rubs the sleep from his eyes as he trudges by the counter still half asleep. Did I hear Dad come in late last night?

You did.  It was actually early this morning. Four in the morning to be exact. 

Is he going to eat breakfast?

Maybe later.

Dominic yawns. I need to get back to campus.

Eat first. It’s still early.

I prepare the kitchen table with plates, napkins, butter and syrup. I place three pancakes on a plate for Dominic and serve one to myself.

Get some juice from the fridge.

I pour myself a cup of tea and Dominic helps himself to orange juice.

We’re both quiet when we sit down to eat.

After a few bites of his pancakes Dominic looks up from his plate. Was Dad really working that late?

I heave a sigh. I’m not sure what to say. I know he was with Carla. Your father’s business is very complicated.

He slams his fork down. You don’t have to sugarcoat things, Ma. I’m not a kid anymore. I know what he does.

I place my fork down on the edge of my plate. And just what do you think he does?

I know he’s connected. He’s a mobster.

I knew this day would eventually come. I knew I’d have to explain to my sons exactly how their father made his money. But I still don’t feel prepared for it.

I feel like I’m going to be sick.

Your father is the head of the North Jersey family.

Dominic’s eyes grow wide. He’s the boss? Like Tony Soprano?

It’s not as exciting or glamourous as a television show, but it is something like that.

I always had my suspicions. I guess I was afraid to ask.

I place a hand on my son’s arm. The less you know about it the better. Especially now that you want to become a lawyer.

Does Gio know about Dad?

I shake my head. Don’t bother him with it. He has enough on his plate.

Giovanni, my youngest, just started his freshman year of college.

Yea, he’s been very busy partying.

How do you know that?

I saw him at a bar with his friends. He’s not even close to twenty-one yet. He must have obtained a fake ID.

Dominic may have gotten his father’s looks, but Giovanni inherited his personality and temperament. Even when he was in high school my youngest put his social life ahead of his studies.

Maybe you can have a talk with your brother, I urge. About the importance of maintaining a high GPA.

He laughs. Gio doesn’t listen to anyone. He definitely won’t listen to me. He thinks I’m a book nerd.

I take a sip of my lukewarm tea.

I wouldn’t be surprised if he joined a fraternity, Dominic adds.

I just hope Gio doesn’t end up following in his father’s footsteps. One made man in the family is more than enough.

***

It’s late afternoon by the time Nicky rolls out of bed. He looks like he’s been ridden hard and put away wet. His salt and pepper hair is askew and the t-shirt and shorts he’s wearing are a wrinkled mess.

I remember the first time I laid eyes on Nicky Carrado. I was sixteen years old and I thought he was the best looking guy on the planet. I was instantly attracted to him.

He was so cocky and sure of himself. Everything I was not. That made him incredibly popular. Every girl in high school wanted Nicky, so when he set his sights on me I thought I was the luckiest girl in the world.

Looking at him now I realize that there’s more to a relationship than good looks and charm. If only my sixteen-year-old self knew then what I’ve come to realize now.

Nicky doesn’t have much else to offer. He’s like the