Deadly Obsession (Forbidden Fruit Book 3): A Dark Mafia Romance

By A. G. Khaliq

**Book 3 and 4 of the series are about Arturo's brother**

Arturo Abruzzi tore the world apart to find the woman that he loved, who mysteriously disappeared without a trace.
Feeling empty without her.
Cold.
Numb.
Hollow.
Feeling like he was better off dead.
Better off six feet under the fucking ground.
And there were times when he would provoke his assassin to pull the damn trigger.
Wishing that his suffering would be put to an end.
Asking God to drag him straight to hell.
After all, hell was the resting place for criminals like him, wasn't it?
The final destination for Mafia men?
But years later, fate caused their paths to collide again.
To cross again.
Except this time, she was married to someone else...

• Language: English
• Publisher: A. G. Khaliq
• Release date: Jul 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005059446

A. G. Khaliq

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Book preview

part one

prologue

donte

My pops had been telling me to settle down for years. He told me to find a woman who would stand by me no matter how tough things got, and would have my back through thick and thin.

And the truth was, I was tired of empty sex. I was tired of one-night stands, and I was tired of screwing women just to toss them away and never speak to them again.

I’d built myself an empire from nothing. I’d put blood, sweat and tears to get to where I was today, to be the owner of several huge businesses, including my multi-million dollar software company Indigo Limited.

And now…

I just wanted a woman to share that with.

So when Sapphire Myers walked into my office telling me that she was the new Python developer, I couldn’t help but to fall head over heels for her beauty. She was so fucking sexy and she didn’t even realize it, but I could see the pain in her eyes. She looked tired, exhausted, broken…

She looked like a mystery.

A mystery that I wanted to solve.

But I was battling with my own demons. I had some dirty secrets of my own, and a past that I wasn’t proud of.

I was part of a Mafia family. A family of organized crime.

But God help me, even though I had my own skeletons in the closet…

If I’d have known that Sapphire was going to betray me in the worst fucking possible way, I would have torched that bitch and left her to die the first time I ever laid eyes on her. I would have disposed of her without a second fucking thought, and then moved on with my life without looking back.

It takes more than a pretty girl to bring me to my knees. The more I push, the more she pushes back. Sapphire is a challenge that I’m not used to, but she needs to learn a thing or two about loyalty.

Because in my world, snakes and rats are buried six feet under. To teach them a lesson not to fuck with me. Because in the Mafia, we’re bound by blood…

And I won’t hesitate to do the same thing to her for getting on the wrong side of me. I won’t hesitate to give her the same treatment that countless people before her got. Somebody should have warned her that if you play with fire you’ll get burned.

Because at the end of the day…

I didn’t choose this life.

This.

Life.

Chose.

Me.

1

maya

I know it's a big ask, Maya, my boss shrugged, folding his arms. But you're my only hope.

Are you sure it's safe though, Boss? I asked, with an uneasy expression on my face. This is the Mafia we're talking about. If they find out who I really am, I'm a dead woman.

Maya, they won't find out, trust me, Boss replied. You're going to be wire-tapped, so the minute we sense something's wrong, we'll send our team down to help you.

I took a deep breath in, my heart pounding with nerves, as Boss continued to debrief me on the whole situation.

But there really is no way of them finding out you're a secret agent, Boss went on. You're going to have your whole identity changed, including your name. As far as they're concerned, you're just going to be another software developer working for them. We have to nail down the Russian Mafia, we've been chasing them for so long.

I understand, I mumbled, taking my head into my hands.

Just make sure you earn their trust. Get any sort of information you can, said Boss. Anything that can help us take them down.

I'll try my best, I nodded, and then let out a sigh that I didn’t know I was holding. Alright Boss, run me by everything we have on the case so far.

Of course, Boss smiled, with his hands on his hips. Come along to the main room.

He began walking out of the room, and then led me to the control room, where there was a board plastered with photographs and notes.

Look at all these photographs, Maya… Boss began. There's a pattern in all of them. But they never leave behind any evidence. Anything that links them to these murders is destroyed.

I held out the photographs in front of my face, reading the information that was written on them. I could feel my heart leap to my throat, and my blood run cold, as the innocent lives that had been murdered stared back at me in their pictures.

The first picture was of a black man with brown eyes and black, afro-textured hair, wearing a white vest. The picture was taken at the crime scene. There was a bullet mark in his chest, and his vest was soaked with blood. The blood had pooled around his body.

I looked down at the case notes, to learn more about who this man was.

ALFONZE MICHAEL.

19 years old.

Shot outside of Hunters Lane.

Known to have a crack addiction.

Deceased.

The second picture was of a white woman with platinum blonde hair, porcelain colored skin and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a salmon pink colored maxi length dress, and she had also been killed. Her picture was also taken at the crime scene, and yet again, there was no evidence left behind…

LILY GRAHAM.

30 years old.

Shot outside of Woodwick Central.

Known to have a cannabis addiction.

Raped and murdered.

The third picture was of a Puerto Rican man, wearing black jeans paired with a black jacket. He had a Tribal tattoo across his chest, and the Crime Scene photos showed horrific images of him laying down next to his sisters, his mother and his father, all of them left to die in their own pool of blood. They’d left a gun in his hand to make it appear that he’d killed his whole family before killing himself, but that was just pure bullshit…

RAYMOND RUIZ.

32 years old.

Whole family beaten to death and murdered in their own home.

Known to be involved in a turf war.

Known street dealer.

Fuck. Those people might have got themselves involved in some dodgy shit…

But they didn't deserve this.

They didn't deserve their life being put to an end like this.

It was crazy how many people lost their lives from being involved in drugs, and it broke my heart that there was nothing that I could do to stop all of this from happening. A woman was raped and murdered just because she owed the people money. Those horrific, disgusting bastards needed to pay for what they’d done.

All of the people affected were young… Boss began, with a timid expression on his face, And they had their whole lives ahead of them. All of these murders were done in the same city, and drugs are connected to each of these murders. He broke off his sentence, shaking his fists angrily. The very city that the Russian Mafia own their corrupt enterprise of Indigo Limited. The very city where they conduct their operations!

Boss, I understand, I mumbled.

Shit, I'm sorry for raising my voice at you, Maya… Boss said exhaustedly. "But this shit makes my blood fucking boil! They're so good at covering up their tracks. If we let them get away with these murders, that's blood on our hands! Nobody else's!"

Well they won't be getting away with this any longer, I murmured, my voice dropping to barely below a whisper. I'm gonna make them pay. I’m gonna make them pay even if it’s the last thing I fucking do.

Boss folded his arms as he stared back at me, and then he nodded his head in approval.

Alright, I'll get you a flight booked for Manhattan tomorrow. I’m gonna have an apartment ready for you when you get there, as well as a new identity, and everything in your past wiped clean so that you can’t be traced. He sighed heavily, as he made his way to his desk to type on his computer. Good luck with this, Maya. It's gonna be one fucking tough job, and you're gonna get close to breaking point so many times. Promise me you'll stay safe.

I promise, I confirmed.

If there’s any problems, where it gets to a matter of life-or-death, you make sure that you fucking contact me, he said. This is the Mafia. They don’t fucking play around. Be careful whenever you’re gathering evidence against them. Make sure you never get caught.

I nodded.

A man with potential involvement with the Russian Mafia is a man named Donte Abruzzi. He’s young and very wealthy, and he’s the head of Indigo Limited, so he’s bound to know about all of the shady operations that go on in Manhattan. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of evidence hidden away in that massive building, Boss muttered. Remember your fucking training. Take whatever means necessary to get the information that we need. Even if it means you have to seduce him. Bastards like him think with their dick. They have no fucking respect for women.

I swallowed down a lump that had formed in my throat, suddenly feeling my insides twist into knots. I felt nervous at the thought of the possibility of so much being able to go wrong in this mission. I was putting my life on the line for the sake of the greater good.

But it was a risk worth taking.

Take care of yourself, Boss, I said.

And with these words…

I turned on my heel, and began walking out of the room. I felt motivated to bring all of these people to justice. That was the reason why I took on the job of being a Secret Agent in the first place. I wanted to prove to myself that there was still some good left in the world.

The Capo of the Russian Mafia was going to be in for one hell of a shit-storm. I would do whatever it takes to put him behind bars, no matter what means I had to take to achieve that.

I would corrupt him.

But right now, there were still some matters that I had to attend to before I left the city to go undercover. Matters with my mother…

And matters with my boyfriend.

I made my way into my apartment, turning the keys and unlocking the door, and walked over to the bedroom, where my mom was laying in her wheelchair, fast asleep. She looked so peaceful, and I didn’t want to disturb her.

I took steps closer to her, crouching beside her, and began stroking her hair. My mother was sixty-five, with faded grey hair and pale skin. She’d been in an accident when she was younger, which caused her to be in a wheelchair ever since. I was all that she had. I didn’t have a father figure in my life, but I didn’t need one anyway. Me and my mom had each other’s backs, and that was all that mattered.

I’d been looking after her for as long as I could remember. Ever since I was still in education, and I was still doing my Criminal Law degree. I made so many sacrifices for the sake of my mother, but I didn’t regret it. Friends came and went…

But family…

Family stayed there till the very end.

As I stroked her hair, she jolted upwards, awaking from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes, looking upset and confused.

Mama, are you okay? I asked.

Who are you and what are you doing in my house?! Mom shouted shakily, jolting backwards at my touch.

Mama, it's me, your daughter… I whispered, tears welling in my eyes. Maya…

Get out, get out, GET OUT! Mom screamed angrily, trembling with fear.

I drew out a deep breath, before taking her face into my hands, trying my best to help her calm down. I could feel my heart shatter into millions of tiny pieces, at the sheer reality that my own mother failed to recognize me sometimes, ever since she’d started to develop the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease…

Mama, don't be scared… It's okay.

Is that you, Maya? Mom whispered.

Mama, I'm going away for a long time, I murmured. I have to leave for work. I'm going to have to take you to a care home while I’m away… I broke off my sentence, as a single tear slid down my cheek.

But I want to stay with you, Mom insisted.

I know, Mama… I took a deep breath in. It won't be forever. Just until I come back.

But they won't look after me like you do, she pleaded.

A moment of regret washed over me as my mama's sad face bored into my eyes. I had an obligation as a daughter to look after her and provide her with what she needed…

It broke my heart watching my mama grow older, watching her lose her memory more and more, day by day.

And the fact that there was nothing I could do to stop it, just screwed with my mind to the point of no fucking return.

But then I remembered how many lives had been lost to the Russian Mafia…

I couldn't be selfish.

I needed to bring them to justice.

They'll take great care of you Mama, I promise, I said, squeezing her hands in mine. Let's go.

I got up on my feet, and began wheeling my mother out of my apartment, ready to make my way to the care home where I was going to drop her off. I knew that my boss would make sure that she was well-provided for while I was gone. It was the least that he could fucking do, and he’d been good to me while I’d been working this job, so I never, ever doubted him and his generosity for one second.

I was going to miss her while I was away…

I just hoped that the sacrifices that I was making for the sake of going undercover would end up being worth it.

I drove down the Highway, with my car playing Blinding Lights by The Weeknd on a low volume. Now that my mama was being taken care of, it was time for me to pay my boyfriend a visit to let him know that I was going away.

I met my boyfriend at work. His name is Brett, and we've been together for two years now. I'm 28, and he's 32…

But I couldn’t help but to feel regret. We got together naturally because work was so demanding, with both of us being in the Secret Service. We saw each other all of the time, and we were pretty much together nearly every hour of the day. We weren't entitled to much of a social life…

We always had to stay focused, avoid getting distracted, and put our all into the task that we were given. We knew what we signed up for when we took the job. It was never going to be easy for us. I guess that being with Brett was a rash decision to stop us both from feeling so lonely, because work just got the better of us both sometimes.

It just felt like the relationship was so forced. I cared for him, that I did.

And he cared for me, too…

But we were always just so busy. It felt like my job was consuming me. I wanted to be loved, and I wanted to feel loved.

But it was a myth with this job. I guess I just settled for Brett, knowing that I would probably not have the chance to meet anybody else. There were no sparks, and no fireworks whenever we kissed. I didn't even have the guts to sleep with him yet. I didn’t feel ready to take that step, because my heart just wasn’t in it…

I've had a dark past. A past that continues haunting me every single day, and the scars are still there…

I guessed that I was embarrassed, upset, angry…

But I didn't tell anybody about my past, or my problems. Those things were better left kept to myself, shut away and repressed, because nobody would understand where I was coming from, and why I made the decisions that I did to get to this point in my life today.

Work kept me busy, and helped me to forget the terrible things that I went through all those years ago…

It felt like my job was slowly overwhelming me and devouring me whole. It was slowly killing me that I couldn't spend enough time with myself to keep myself sane, to go out and have fun like a normal 28-year-old, make friends and live a good life. Or the fact that I couldn’t spend enough time with my mother in the last years of her life. She wasn’t getting any younger, after all…

And keeping up with Brett was the least of my fucking worries. Maybe now was the perfect chance to put an end to whatever we had, because I finally had an excuse to do so…

It was bound to happen sooner or later, anyway. Our relationship had been rocky for a long time. I was just speeding up the inevitable.

I felt terrible because I knew how much Brett cared about me and loved me, but I couldn’t keep stringing him along like this, and convincing myself that I felt the same way about him, when I knew that I didn’t. I already felt empty enough, without my relationship with Brett adding to it.

I couldn’t force myself to be in a miserable relationship with him forever, despite the history that I had with him, because I’d already been through a relationship just as toxic as that before, and I didn’t want to put myself through that again…

I arrived at Brett’s apartment block, and began walking up the stairs to make my way to his room number. When I arrived at his room, the door was already open. I rubbed my chin in thought, wondering why he’d left it open.

Brett? I called out. Brett?

There was no response. I shrugged to myself, before letting myself in. I was sure that he wouldn’t have a problem with me doing this, because we always turned up to each other’s places unannounced.

I searched the rooms, trying to figure out where he was. He hadn’t mentioned anything about going out today, so I’d assumed that he would be at home…

And then I heard the sound of somebody giggling. I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering who the hell was in here. I followed the sounds of the laughter… and then stopped dead in my tracks as I reached Brett’s bedroom.

Brett was standing there, in his blue t-shirt and blue jeans, with his blonde hair tied up in a manbun… with a girl’s arms wrapped around him. He had his arms folded, and she was rubbing his chest up and down, leaving pecks of kisses in her wake. She had short brown curly hair, big brown eyes, light brown skin, arched eyebrows… and her shirt wasn’t on. She was just in some ripped denim shorts, paired with a turquoise colored sequined bra.

Hazel.

A bitch that he’d told me not to worry about, so many times before…

Angry tears welled in my eyes. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. She was so fucking gorgeous, and I could feel my heart twist into knots as I watched her put her hands all over Brett. Just looking at her was enough to push me over the edge and make me feel so fucking insecure, knowing that I couldn’t compare to her beauty, knowing that she was the type of woman that every man I met in my life would prefer over me…

Brett’s chest was heaving upwards and downwards as she touched him, and I could feel the bile rise to my throat; I felt so sick. He was enjoying this. He was enjoying the attention, he was enjoying entertaining her…

This was the man that I’d been beating myself up over on my journey here, feeling terrible at the fact that I was going to end things with him, because I thought that I would be breaking his heart…

Come on, baby, said Hazel, tilting his chin, forcing him to look her in the eye.

I couldn’t hold back my disgust anymore. I shook my fists with rage.

What the fuck, Brett?! I screamed.

Brett flipped around in shock, looking like somebody had just stepped over his grave.

Maya! he cried out.

Hazel started giggling as she saw me, a wide smirk on her lips, and this just made me feel even more shit about myself. She found my pain amusing, she was laughing at me…

I bolted out of the room, feeling embarrassed and angry, with tears spilling down my cheeks.

I'm such a fool… I shook my head angrily, as I stopped in the living room. I turned around to see that Brett had ran after me, and he’d caught up with me.

Maya! he shrieked. It's not what it looks like!

Not what it looks like?! I repeated angrily. Even after I’d just caught him dead with another woman in his apartment, he still continued to try to make excuses for himself, and this was enough to make my blood boil to the point that it almost dried up. I just saw her kissing you and feeling you up for God's sake! In just her bra and jeans! I broke off my sentence, seething. So this is why you didn't turn up to work today. You fucking disgust me.

Brett exhaled a sigh, and then took his head into his hands. Maya, you know what Hazel is like, he said exhaustedly, his voice strung with venom and bitterness. She's a desperate bitch! She turned up to my apartment unannounced and threw herself at me! I didn't do anything back!

I don't know what to believe anymore, I replied miserably, feeling dejected. I always saw the good in people, and deep down, my heart was telling me that Brett wasn’t capable of cheating on me… Because I knew how much he loved me, after how much he always told me over and over.

But actions speak louder than words. I replayed what I just saw in the room in my head, and I realized that I hadn’t really seen Brett doing anything back with her, so maybe his side of the story did add up, after all. Either way, I didn’t fucking care. What was it to me if he’d been cheating or not? I came here to put an end to whatever me and Brett had, and I couldn’t let my emotions get the better of me. I’d been waiting to do this for such a long time…

Baby, please… Brett pleaded. We've been together for so long, I wouldn't do that to you and you know I wouldn't.

Brett, I didn't come here to argue with you, I swallowed.

What's going on, baby? Brett asked, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

I'm leaving town, I mumbled.

W - what?! Brett denied. Is this because of Hazel?!

Boss has given me a new task that requires me to go undercover, I explained gloomily.

What kind of task?! Brett asked bitterly, folding his arms, his facial expression fuming with rage. You both arranged this all without letting me know?!

We're in the Secret Service, Brett, I shot back, agitated. Maybe Boss kept you out of the loop because he knew you would behave this way. You're so fucking childish!

Brett opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. His face fell, and the screw-face expression on his face was replaced with a sad, gloomy one.

"How long will you