Loving Their Mafia Princess: Varano Mafia, #1

By Talia Ellison

As my father's sole heir, I need to prove that I can run my family business on my own. With my sexy second-in-command's help, I'm sure I can do it.

But my father has other plans. He wants me to marry the handsome son of a rival mafia boss who I might end up liking more than I should.

And to make things more complicated, I also might be falling for the hottie who broke into my safe house and now works for me.

But I'm used to getting what I want, both in and out of bed, and I won't have it any other way.

The boys will be mine. The leadership will be mine.

Only, my father is keeping something from me, and his mysterious enemy might be a serious threat to all of us.

I have to do something about it before it's too late, and the three men just might be exactly what I need...

 

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This is the first installment in the Varano Mafia series. It may contain violence, strong language, mature content, and a cliffhanger.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Talia Ellison
• Release date: Dec 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9781393040620

Talia Ellison

Talia Ellison is the author of Hold Me, Unfold Me, the Loving Your Enemy series, the Your Love Is Dangerous series, Destroying the Billionaire, The Mafia Proposal series, the My Broken Hitman series, the Her Dark Mafia Heart duet, the Owned by the Mafia Queen series, the Never His duet, the Taking Revenge on Her Bully series, the Varano Mafia series, and Arranged: Cassaro Mafia. She loves to read and write all kinds of romance, and she has a thing for broken, tortured heroes and fierce heroines who aren't afraid to take what they want. When she’s not busy with a book, she likes to watch TV shows and listen to music. Never miss a new release! Sign up for Talia’s newsletter: https://taliaellison.weebly.com/newsletter.html

Book preview

Chapter 1

HEY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Tom asked. Where are the keys?

A slow smile spread across my lips.

Poor Tom.

He had no clue who I really was or what I was after, but it didn’t really matter. The only important thing was Tom’s phone that I was holding while I had my back to him. In only a few moments, the contents of his phone would be cloned, and then I’d be out of here.

Shut up. I lifted my finger. If he protested one more time, I was going to leave him cuffed to the bed.

Once I had what I needed, I stuffed Tom’s phone back into the pocket of his suit jacket. My hand closed around the cuff keys.

Want these? I waved the keys.

Tom nodded.

Okay. I tossed them at him and they fell on the bed, just a bit out of his reach. He was going to have to find a way to get them, and even though I’d love to watch him struggle, I didn’t have time for that.

Hey, wait! Tom yelled as soon as I headed for the door of the expensive hotel suite where we’d spent the night. I can’t reach them.

That’s your problem. I winked at him before disappearing through the door.

If only Tom knew I wasn’t just a random woman he’d met at the bar.

He’d lose his mind.

I was Nadia Varano, the daughter of one of the most powerful mafia bosses in our city.

Maybe Tom would figure it out soon enough. I hadn’t bothered to hide my blonde hair or my hazel eyes. It wouldn’t be overly difficult for him to recognize me if someone showed him a photo of me, but I didn’t think anyone would even think about that.

Mafia princesses didn’t do risky things like this. But I’d always been different, and if anyone was going to lead the Varano family after my father retired, it was going to be me. Luckily, I was an only child.

I just had to prove to my father that I was ready.

Matteo’s dark brown eyes narrowed at me the moment I walked through the hotel’s front door, and he was by my side in an instant. A smile tilted my lips as I reached out to push a stray strand of his messy black hair out of his eyes. He was my incredibly hot second-in-command.

My father had actually allowed me to hire my own men so I’d be well protected, and I was sure he was also secretly hoping I’d give up on the idea of wanting to be boss on my own.

Is it done? Matteo asked, his tone clipped as annoyance flashed across his face. His father had been working for my family, so Matteo and I had known each other since we were kids.

Of course it is. I tapped my purse. Did you really think I wasn’t going to succeed?

We crossed the street where my SUV was waiting for us. Matteo opened the car door for me. As soon as he settled next to me, the driver brought the engine to life and we were speeding out of there. Matteo pressed the button to lift up the glass that separated us from the driver.

You shouldn’t have done that. It was too risky, he said, his eyes filled with concern.

Relax. I’m right here, I’m fine, and we have what we need. If he were anyone else, I’d have never let him question my decisions, but I’d always liked him and I trusted him with my life.

I handed him my purse, and he took a quick peek inside.

I’ll get it to our team. Let’s hope there’s something useful on that phone, he said, his jaw set.

Oh, come on. Don’t be like that. I let my fingers brush his arm, and he jumped a little at the contact.

His hard gaze met mine. I’ll never be happy about you putting your life at risk. You know that. We could’ve found another way. I could’ve gotten my hands on that phone for you.

He was right. I could’ve let someone else handle this, but I liked being part of the action and in control of everything. And I also knew that there was more than one reason why he was upset with me right now.

My little mission hadn’t been all that dangerous, or I wouldn’t have done it. I knew Tom wouldn’t have recognized me or figured me out.

You’ve got to admit Tom’s kinda cute. It was quite a night we had, too. I was taunting him, and it was worth it just to see the shocked and upset look that crossed his face before he averted his gaze and pressed his lips together to hide his reaction.

It was his iron self-control that drew me to him even more than his lean and strong body, but we both knew that there could never be anything between us. We’d almost hooked up when we were sixteen, but my father had caught us and nearly killed him for it.

Since then, we’d done our best to keep our hands to ourselves. Maybe it was better that way. He was good at his job, and damn, no matter how much I wanted to rip his clothes off him, I didn’t want to lose him.

Having an actual relationship was probably off the table in my line of work anyway, and I didn’t think I could keep it casual with Matteo even if I tried.

His phone vibrated, and he pulled it out of the pocket of his dark blue jeans. A frown creased his brow as he took a good look at the screen.

What is it? I asked.

Your father is worried about you. He knows you didn’t return home last night.

I groaned. Well, tell him I’m fine. I could understand why my father was worried about my safety, but sometimes he was totally overreacting.

Maybe you should tell him what you’re doing. Matteo’s eyes softened as they lifted to mine.

Matteo could never stay mad at me for too long. It was one of the numerous reasons why I liked having him by my side. Even when he didn’t agree with me, he always respected my decisions and carried out my orders no matter what.

Hell no. If my father knew, he’d lose his mind. You know him. I want to finish what we started, and once it’s done, I’ll tell him all about it and he’ll see that I’m perfectly capable of doing this on my own. I was going to make my father proud and solve one of his problems for him at the same time.

All right. He typed a quick message and then slipped his phone back into his pocket. But maybe you should consult with him before making any moves. He might have other plans. If you mess with them, he won’t appreciate it.

I tilted my head. Do you think I should’ve consulted with him when he suggested that I should never, ever pick you as my second?

He sighed. Nadia...

My father hasn’t done a thing about those guys for months. If he wanted to do something, he would’ve done it. He just thinks they’re not worthy of his attention yet, but if I get them out of the picture for him, I’m sure he’ll be grateful. Or is there something you haven’t told me?

Matteo was supposed to be in touch with my father’s men, and he always reported to me about it, so I didn’t think he’d failed to mention any crucial piece of information.

No, there isn’t, he said.

Good. Then we’ll proceed as planned.

A small gang kept crossing into our territory, sometimes engaging in petty thefts and mugging people on our streets. It was time to punish them for it and stop them once and for all. But their boss was cunning and resourceful, and he always got away.

After we got what we needed from Tom’s phone, I hoped we’d finally catch him.

Chapter 2

THIS IS OUR TARGET, Matteo said as he pointed at the dot on the map that was spread across the table.

We’d figured out exactly where our enemy was hiding, and now all we had to do was strike. I could already taste our success on my tongue.

All right, everyone, I said, and my men’s gazes focused back on me. This was my mission after all, and giving orders was one of my favorite pastimes anyway. We have to do this very quickly and effectively. Grab your weapons, get your masks and jackets, and get your motorcycles ready. You already know how attacks like this one go. The building Matteo indicated is our only target. Kill all gang members in it and get out of there before the cops come. We can’t get caught, understood?

Everyone nodded.

Good. Any questions? I offered them a small smile, and they shook their heads. Okay. I’ll meet you in half an hour at our spot, and then we’ll go get those sons of bitches.

A few of my men cheered.

Matteo stiffened next to me, but he wisely kept his mouth shut until all of the men were out of the room. We’d already done a few hits like this one, and the gang we were targeting wouldn’t have a chance to fight back.

I was certain they wouldn’t see us coming. Sure, the symbols on our jackets would tell the right people who we were and why the attack had happened, but we’d wear masks anyway, so the cops wouldn’t easily identify us. The cops were almost always on our tail, though, and we had to be very careful.

I know what you’re going to say. I raised my finger just as Matteo opened his pretty mouth. But I’m not sitting this one out. I’m coming with you. I want to see firsthand how things will go, and I want to feel the rush of it too.

Your father will kill me if I let you do this. His eyes were pleading with mine, but I knew it wasn’t just my father he was worried about. He was concerned about my safety.

Always and forever.

It was really sweet of him, but I’d made up my mind.

My father will never find out I came with you. Hell, it won’t even occur to him to consider it.

Why do you even want to go? It’s just a boring hit job. Some stupid gang. We’ll open fire, and a few minutes later, it’ll all be over. There’s no need for you to be there.

I stepped closer to him, getting into his personal space, and I could tell his breath hitched just a little because of my proximity, but he kept his face expressionless. If it’s so easy, then me going with you isn’t a problem at all. I flashed him a wide smile.

Nadia, your presence might affect the men. They’ll have to make sure you’re safe and protected. It’s an unnecessary risk.

"Affect the men or affect you?" I arched an eyebrow at him.

He pressed his lips into a tight line, and I knew the answer.

Oh, Matteo, what I would do to you.

And what I wouldn’t.

You heard the men, I said. They sounded pretty excited about it, and you also know I’m not going to change my mind. We’re just wasting time. Why don’t you come and help me get ready?

I reached out for his hand, but before our fingers could touch, I pulled away. Then I spun on my heel and headed for the door, knowing full well that Matteo was going to follow me. I grabbed the first knife in my sight and held it up.

Why don’t you get my sheath and help me strap this to my calf? I asked.

You don’t need that.

Oh please. You want me to be safe, right? I need all the weapons I can get. If I get in trouble and I’m disarmed, a hidden knife can always come in handy.

Well, I didn’t think I’d need it either, but it was better to be safe than sorry, and yeah, I wanted to see Matteo’s reaction when he touched me. There was a high chance I’d end up hot and bothered too, but it would be totally worth it.

Fine. He went to find the sheath, and I rolled up the leg of my pants. His lips parted slightly when I lifted my leg up on a chair.

When his fingers grazed my skin, a shot of warmth raced up my body, and his gaze briefly met mine as he strapped the sheath to my calf. His hand lingered on my leg, and for a moment, I thought his fingers were going to trail up my skin, but they didn’t.

He stepped away from me, and I slipped my knife in the sheath, a smile spreading across my lips as I rolled my pants back down, my skin still tingling where his fingers had brushed it.

We should go. He turned his back to me, his voice hoarse.

Yeah, we should. I grabbed my favorite guns and slipped on my jacket.

Matteo handed me a black mask, and then we strode out of there.

I let my guys go first, and Matteo stayed a bit behind with me. My bike was purring under me as we zoomed down the busy streets. Once we got closer to our target, I put on my mask.

Excitement filled every inch of my body, and I pulled out one of my guns. My guys would get most of the fun while I waited outside.

Most of them had already parked their bikes and were rushing the building when I pulled over in front of the entrance. One of the gang members tried to escape, but I got him before he could break into a run.

Let’s go! Let’s go! Matteo was yelling.

Gunshots echoed everywhere, and then everything became quiet. My pulse was racing as my guys dashed outside toward their bikes. I was glad our enemies had picked this place to hide because it was unlikely any innocent people would get caught in the crossfire.

Almost everyone knew it was better for them to stay away from this place, and the few passersby had run for cover the instant my men opened fire. Smart people.

Just as we were about to leave, the wail of police sirens cut through the air. Shit. It sounded like the cops were closer than we’d expected.

Matteo’s gaze briefly met mine. His mask was kind of hot on him too, but was there anything that could make him less attractive? I doubted it.

Go! I yelled. To our safe house!

We had a plan in place for a situation like this one, so we all sped out of there, spreading out in different directions. It would be difficult for the cops to follow us all.

Matteo was close by, and when we reached an alley that seemed safe enough, I stopped so I could ditch my mask and jacket. Matteo did the same, and then we were on our way out of there, avoiding all the streets with plenty of cameras.

The police sirens were getting farther and farther away, and I couldn’t help but smile. We’d done it! I had no doubt my guys would get away too, and even if they were caught, they’d never talk.

Not for anything in the world.

They knew how much my father and I