Page 23 of Bound By Her Mafia Bosses

“You’ll stay in touch?” Bowie asked Thorne.

“Yes,” Thorne agreed, “As soon as I get them settled, I will check in with Savage. I’ll keep you guys in the loop.”

“Thanks, man,” Savage said. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for doing this for my family.”

“I’m sure I’ll come up with something,” Thorne joked, slapping Savage on the shoulder. He turned back to Rose, “How soon can you be ready?” he asked.

“We’re ready now,” Rose said. “I just need to change Sadie and then, we can be ready to go with you.” She walked past him, and he caught a whiff of her strawberry-scented shampoo and Thorne made a mental note to stop sniffing the pretty girl. If he was going to keep his promise to Savage, he would need to keep his head in the game—strawberry-scented shampoo or not.

Thorne’s Rose (Savage Hell MC Book 8) Universal Link-> https://books2read.com/u/4jND2l

Bound by Her Mafia Bosses is a spinoff of the Ties That Binds Series. If you want to catch up on the three-book series that launched The Bound Series, check out this excerpt from Saving Valentine.

Valentine

Valentine sat by the front entrance, waiting for her contact to walk into the hotel. She had spent the better part of a week now trying to set up this appointment. Tonight was no different. Val knew that it was a long shot, but if this guy was really keeping tabs on her brother, she’d sit in that stuffy lobby all night long.

Four more couples walked through the lobby and disappeared to their rooms and one family with three rambunctious kids checked in for the night. Val smiled to herself as she watched the two younger children fighting over a toy. It reminded her of Anton and the way the two of them used to fight about everything. They drove her poor mother crazy. Now, she’d give just about anything to see Anton again, including risking her own life, to meet a complete stranger in a hotel lobby.

Val checked her watch one last time before she stood and smoothed her hands down her slender thighs, ironing out imaginary wrinkles from her dress. She chose the blue crushed velvet number that hugged her every curve, hoping to garner a little interest from her mystery man. But that would only happen if he actually showed up. His text was short and to the point, telling her to meet him in the lobby at seven. It was now quarter to eight and she was starting to feel that he had stood her up. She was no one’s fool, and she wouldn’t start playing that role tonight. Valentine retrieved her purse and started for the revolving gold doors, that would lead her out of the stale air of the entombed lobby and onto the streets of Manhattan. She loved the city after a good rainstorm and tonight was a doozy.

The city was busy tonight and the excitement that she felt when she first stepped foot in New York bubbled up inside of her again. Val couldn’t wait to be able to call home and give her mother the good news that she had found Anton, but she wouldn’t be making that call tonight. Still, she wouldn’t let tonight’s setback turn her mood sour. She was in her favorite city again and the whole night lay before her feet, ready for her to make the first move. Val stood on the corner and hailed a cab, refusing to take no for an answer, even showing off a little leg to get the cabbie to stop. Valentine knew what her assets were, and she wasn’t above using them. If her body got her in the door, she’d use it to get where she was going.

Two cabs passed her by before a black limo pulled to the curb, effectively blocking her from the street. She shot a dirty look in the direction of where she assumed the driver would be sitting, not able to see through the tinted glass. The back window rolled down, revealing whom she assumed to be her seven o’clock appointment and she didn’t miss the amused smirk on his handsome face. He gave her the once over, his eyes lingering on her long, stocking-clad leg. Valentine released her dress and smoothed it back into place.

“If I knew that was the greeting you were going to gift me with honey, I would have hurried my meeting along,” he said. She had never heard his voice, always communicating with him via text. His deep baritone had her thinking of what he would sound like when he was aroused and needy, whispering praises into her ear, as she obeyed his every order. Hell, she needed to get her fucking hormones under control. Sure, it had been over a year since her last failed relationship, but she had her trusty vibrator to keep her satisfied and that was good enough, for now. She didn’t even know this man’s name—he was a complete stranger, claiming to have information on where Anton was. For all she knew, he could be a serial killer, and wouldn’t that serve her right? Her mother always warned her against falling for dangerous men, a lesson her mom knew all too well.

Growing up, she knew that her father wasn’t a good man, but he was still her dad. He ran with the wrong crowds and owed favors to men in high places. When they came to collect and he couldn’t pay, he wound up dead. Her mother tried to move them out of their little neighborhood, but once you were a part of that life, there was no getting out. They were left alone, for the most part, but once Anton turned eighteen, all her father’s old buddies started sniffing around again and before they knew it, her brother was in over his head. After almost five years of working for some of the major families on the Chicago scene, Anton went out one night and never came home. Her mother called her, begging her to come home, to help find her little brother. Val didn’t have the heart to tell her mom that her life was in California now and that she couldn’t give up her career and just run home every time Anton found himself in a little hot water.

Two weeks passed and the phone calls from her mom became more frantic. She was just as sure as her mother that Anton had gone and done something to either get himself killed or worse, run off. If that was the case, neither she nor her mother were safe, no matter where they ran. The families didn’t take kindly to deserters. They would drive that point home by going after the defector’s family, killing them off one by one, until they either turned themselves over or died trying. Valentine shivered at the thought of anyone getting close enough to hurt her mother. If Anton ran, she’d find him, and he would answer to the families for what he had done. Val would never let anyone, or anything, touch her mother.

“You’re late,” she sassed, trying for casual, but knowing that she failed miserably by the laughter that peeled from the back seat.

“Please, join me, Ms. Rossi.” She gasped at his use of her last name. He obviously was way ahead of her in their little game. She hadn’t figured out anything about him, other than he seemed to have more money and arrogance than any man she had met before. And Lord, those blue eyes of his were something she could get lost in. She wondered how his overly long, blond hair would feel to run her fingers through. Val shook her head, effectively trying to shake the path that her dirty mind was heading down.

“I’m afraid that you have me at a disadvantage, Sir. You seem to know more about me than I currently know about you.” She turned as if to leave, but second-guessed herself, turning back. She ran smack into his solid chest with a thud. His arms banded around her and she felt her traitorous body lean into his grasp. He smelled as good as he looked and felt even better.

“My name is Nicholas James. You can call me Nick, but Nicky is off the table.” She smiled up at him, actually smiled. She wanted to groan and chastise herself for falling for the dashing, debonair act that he had apparently mastered to make women swoon because she didn’t swoon—ever.

“Well, Nick, as I said, you are very late. I’m afraid that we will need to reschedule, as I have plans.” His mouth quirked into the sexiest little half-smile she had seen in some time. She wanted to kiss that smirk right off his smug face, but that would be crossing a line that she wouldn’t allow herself to step even a toe over.

“Where are you off to, Ms. Rossi? Maybe I could give you a lift?” He enthusiastically nodded to his limo, and she shook her head. Accepting his offer would mean that she would be spending more time with him and that was the last thing she needed, given the way her body and mind were reacting to Nicholas James.

“No, but thank you,” she stuttered. “I’m meeting someone and don’t have any more time to waste on you, I mean us—shit,” she cursed. She couldn’t believe that a total stranger had the power to leave her stammering, speechless, and cussing on the streets of Manhattan, but here they were. Valentine realized that she was still pressed up against Nick’s body and carefully took two steps back, not wanting to give away just how much he affected her.

“Please, allow me to drop you where you are going and then we can have a little time to discuss Anton.” Her eyes darted to Nick’s, not missing the sympathy that was now evident every time he looked at her. A part of her worried that Anton was dead, and that poor Nick was to be the one to tell her the bad news. Val felt bad that a small part of her wished that her brother was dead because if he wasn’t, she and her mother would be in grave danger. Either way, she had to know because her family was depending on her to keep them safe.

“Fine,” she barked. Val slid into the limo’s backseat, as the driver held her door open. “Thank you,” she said to the older gentleman.

Nick joined her, getting in on the opposite side, not waiting for his driver to get his door. “So, where to, Ms. Rossi?”

Valentine sighed and gave him the address to the hotel she was staying at. When she set up their meeting, the thought of having a perfect stranger know where she was residing seemed like a bad idea. So, she told Nick to meet her at the only other hotel in town that she knew. Her parents brought her and Anton to New York when they were just kids and they stayed there. So many memories came flooding back to her as she entered the stale lobby, through those big, gold, revolving doors. She remembered thinking of it as a palace, where she and her brother could find many adventures together, but she was wrong. Seeing it through her adult eyes now, only drove the point home that she lived in a fantasy most of the time, and she was ready to grow up.

“Please call me Valentine or even Val. Ms. Rossi is my mother,” she offered. Nick seemed pleased and nodded his agreement.

“Valentine, it is lovely to make your acquaintance.” He pulled her hand into his own, kissing the back. The gesture had her heart skipping a beat, although she would never admit that to Nick.

“Please drop me off at the Mondrian, Park Avenue.” Nick smiled at her and nodded to his driver.

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