Monster Inside Me: Volume III (A Dark Mafia Romance Book 3) Read online

  MONSTER INSIDE ME

  VOLUME III

  FAYE BYRD

  Edited by Christine V.

  Cover Image from @Lukatme1 - Deposit Photos

  Special thanks to all the following women who took some part in making this story become what it is:

  Ceara Therrien, Cheryl Edmonds, Fran Walsh, Ankita Kaul, Mana Liz, and last but certainly not least, Cecilia Rene

  Copyright 2020 © Faye Byrd

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the author.

  All trademark references mentioned in this book, including movies, movie characters or television shows, are the property of the respective copyright holders and trademark owners. No copyright infringement is intended.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons is entirely coincidental.

  *****Warning!

  This book contains graphic violent scenes and harsh language throughout. Please take this into account if you have triggers related to violence. This book is a romance, but it’s a romance set in the mafia world and mafia-like showdowns will occur—as well as other not-so-pleasant scenes.

  THIS volume specifically will test the boundaries when it comes to triggers. PLEASE do not read it if disturbing subjects can cause you to react in a negative way. For some, it could contain multiple triggers.

  Table of Contents

  ONE - EVER-EVOLVING

  TWO - MY BAD

  THREE - A LOSS YET TO HAPPEN

  FOUR - S-E-X

  FIVE - THERE IS ONLY LOVE

  SIX - RINGSIDE SEAT

  SEVEN - THIS IS WHO I AM

  EIGHT - SPACE

  NINE - TIME

  TEN - DEEP BREATHS

  ONE

  EVER EVOLVING

  Piper’s tense fingers slowly untangle from mine, and she shifts, slinking across the room with the predatory nature of a tigress stalking her prey. I’m so fucking mesmerized by the fierceness of her movements that Ivan, or what she may do to him, doesn’t even cross my mind—until, of course, Madeline steps defiantly by his side.

  Piper cocks her head to the misguided woman. “This has nothing to do with you, Maddy,” she says as she jabs her finger at my brother. “This is all on him, and you can either step aside, or you can suffer the consequences.”

  A dark chuckle escapes as I start meandering in their direction.

  Maddy has the audacity to roll her eyes while Ivan hovers behind her, nervously shifting his glasses. “What makes you think you have the power to make anyone suffer?”

  I consider opening my mouth, but I’m too fucking curious to hear Piper’s answer. I mean, I know what the fuck she should say, but the question is, will she? I position myself off to the side, where I have a clear view of the absolute anger sparking in my hellcat’s eyes, and purposefully ignore the pleading expression on Ivan’s face.

  I almost feel smug instead of wrathful.

  Piper takes one swift step closer to the tall, curvy blonde to stand nose to chin, yet her eyes are calculating as she studies Maddy. “I think,” she finally says and pauses to flick her eyes toward me, “you’d be a fool to underestimate my power. Ivan risked my life to achieve a goal but achieve it, he did.”

  My stupid brother actually fucking beams, all his insecurity fading at the drop of a goddamn hat. “Really?” he asks, his eyes wide and excited as he peers around Maddy to get a better look at Piper.

  “Really?” Piper mimics, throwing her hands up and acting all fake-happy. “Did you not fucking hear me, Ivan?” She shoulders past Maddy and marches straight to my brother. Her goddamn pointer finger is jabbing him in the chest as soon as she’s close enough. “You sent me into a war zone! I could’ve been killed! Did you think about that? Did you think about anything aside from your selfish little fantasy?”

  Ivan’s beaming smile fades as her words work their way through his thick skull and settle into his oversized brain. He goes from a smile to a frown to wide blue eyes as they jump frantically to mine.

  I keep my stance casual, but my eyes are hard as I return his stare. I want him to see how fucking pissed I am, but I also want to let Piper do her thing—take her rightful place as my girl and wield the fucking power in which that affords her on those who would put her life in danger.

  Besides, he’ll probably make it out unharmed—physically, at least—this way.

  When his jaw drops to no doubt stutter an apology, I tilt my head toward Piper. It’s her to whom he should be groveling. He catches my meaning easily enough and switches focus, dropping to his knees and throwing his arms around her midsection, blubbering apologies into her stomach.

  Now, this is not at all what I fucking intended, as seeing another man, even my dork of a brother, with his arms around her is quite unsettling. The usual bubble in my chest constricts and is replaced with the fiery urge to break things. Namely arms, but Piper’s befuddled expression as she looks to me for help tempers the flame—just slightly.

  With an irritated growl, I go over and snatch his clingy self up and away from her, tossing him toward the sofa. “Jesus Fucking Christ, Van. Act like a goddamn man!”

  He stumbles and lands haphazardly beside Maddy, catching his glasses before they tumble to the floor. Maddy huffs and cuts her narrowed eyes in my direction before checking Ivan over as if he’s been broken beyond repair.

  Tamping down my irritation, I face Piper, settling my own hands on the swell of her hips—they’re the only ones that should ever be there—and studying her face. Her anger has dimmed, confliction now dominating her expression. And I get it. I feel exactly the same. No matter what Ivan did, I love him. I always fucking have.

  I can count on one hand the people I’ve loved in my life. When I was younger, the list was a bit longer than now. My parents, Uncle Joseph, and Aunt Anna all had spots, but number one was always my baby brother. Now, as an adult, the feelings I have for each of them have evolved. In Anna’s case, they’ve come full circle. From the love for an aunt to the respect of an associate, and now, at the end of her life, a return to the simple love I had as a kid. Joseph and my father are men I respect and care for, but they’re also expendable under the right circumstances. We all know this. It isn’t a fucking secret. It’s part of our reality. My relationship with my mother is complicated and distant, but I do care about her.

  My one constant is, and has always been, Ivan … until now. As I study Piper’s gorgeous face, which so clearly mirrors my own feelings, rage begins to simmer underneath the surface.

  “You could’ve lost this. Lost her. And it would’ve been all his fault,” the monster whispers, voicing his preference for the first time ever.

  Piper.

  He chooses Piper.

  I fucking choose Piper.

  My fingers grip tighter, and my jaw clenches as I fight to restrain the rage. Rapid, angry breaths are whispering through my nostrils, and I close my eyes, only to be bombarded with images of Piper—a different Piper, one who didn’t make it back from Miami safely.

  A softness presses against me, and her fucking magnificent scent fills my lungs as she whispers calming words in between soft kisses to my neck. “I’m here, Dante. I’m safe. Feel me. Put your arms around me. I’m alive.”

  The death grip I clench her in is enough to smother a normal person, but there’s nothing normal about Piper Tate. She returns my embrace with enough goddamn ferociousness to remind me of t
he most important thing.

  She’s alive.

  The monster recedes, taking with him all the rage. But he leaves a cold, calculating motherfucker behind. I pull away and narrow my eyes on Piper as a million scenarios race through my mind. But before I can decide on how best to finish this confrontation, Piper’s swift mind has already chosen.

  Her fingers only have to move a few inches to retrieve the Glock from my waistband, and with the flash of a devious smile, she has it aimed toward the duo on my couch.

  “What the fuck, Piper?” Maddy snaps, giving her an incredulous glare.

  “Whoa,” Ivan says, holding up his hands and pressing his body into the back of the couch—as if the fucking distance could save him. His scared baby blues flick to me when it’s obvious Piper isn’t going to bend. “You gonna just let her shoot me? Is that how it is now?”

  I shrug casually, as if I’m only deciding what to have for breakfast. “Isn’t this what you wanted, Ivan? For me to recognize my feelings for Piper?” I step forward, my arms encircling her waist from behind. “You got what you wanted, but surely you know what that means, right?”

  He moves his eyes between us before his whole body slumps in defeat. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” he says, his voice breaking.

  “Didn’t know what, Ivan?” she asks, her voice as cool as a cucumber. “You didn’t know Dante was in Miami?”

  “You know I did,” he answers, his gaze falling to his lap. “I just …” He sighs and meets her eyes. “This job was a simple one, and I was just hoping you’d run across each other and talk.”

  She holds the gun steady but only for a few more seconds. “If this was simple, I’d hate to see complicated.” Her shoulders slump and the gun falls to her side.

  “What happened?” Ivan asks, but it isn’t her he’s talking to. It’s me. His eyes are soft, and there’s a touch of fear, but the overriding emotion is concern. “Is everyone okay?”

  I nod once. “They will be.” Cutting my eyes to Madeline, I say, “But in present company, I’d rather not discuss the details.”

  Ivan’s bushy brows furrow as he glances to his side, recognition dawning. “You think Maddy’s a mole?” he asks, his eyes flashing between Piper and me. “Bullshit!” He stands, fists balled at his sides. “I put my neck on the line so you two could get your shit together, and this is the thanks I get? Vague details, accusations, and a gun pointed my way? Fuck that and fuck you both.” He reaches for Madeline’s hand, pulling her up beside him. “Call me when you’re ready to talk.”

  As he goes to lead her away, the ice in Piper’s voice stops them in their tracks. “Sit the fuck back down, Ivan.”

  He pauses, and when he turns, his eyes are narrowed on the barrel of the Glock. “Or what?”

  In three long strides, I’m standing before him. “Or I’ll sit you down.”

  He huffs, but the fight leaves him as quickly as it came. “I don’t know what else you want me to say,” he says as he sits. “I never expected there to be trouble.”

  Piper lowers the gun again and takes a seat on the coffee table in front of him. “Ivan, you were right about Dante and me, but I was almost killed. We were almost killed.”

  “By who?” Maddy asks anxiously, leaning forward.

  Piper looks to me, her eyes questioning. Though she doesn’t know everything, I’ve already given her the general rundown of the Miami debacle. The who’s who and what my mission entailed, but none of that included the whole Madeline mess.

  I roll my fucking eyes and move to sit in a chair close by. “Who do you think, Maddy?” I ask as I sit. “It was all a setup—almost as though our every fucking move was being tracked.”

  Big fat tears collect in Maddy’s eyes as her hand comes up to cover her mouth. She starts shaking her head frantically and whispering, “No, this can’t be happening. No. No.”

  Ivan leans forward and wraps her in his wiry embrace, making shushing noises as he tries to calm her. “I’ve got you, baby. Nothing’s going to happen to you. We’ll protect you.”

  She breaks from his hold and moves away, tears leaking down her cheeks. “How can you say that? If they can get to Dante, then anybody’s game. Oh my God, I have to get out of here.”

  “What? Why?” Piper asks, trying to calm an overly emotional Madeline. “What am I missing?”

  It’s Ivan who speaks up. “Maddy is the missing mob wife of William Kent.”

  “From Miami?” Piper’s eyes widen as they look to me for confirmation. “You knew about this?”

  “I did,” I confirm, sending a pointed look toward a still sniffling Maddy. “Which is why I’ve been cautious about speaking freely.”

  “But look at her, Dante.” She waves a hand over the seemingly distraught woman. “She’s a mess.”

  “Or she’d like us to think so,” I respond, lifting a brow. “Someone sold me out in Miami, and the list of possibilities is a narrow one. I’d be a fucking fool to discount Maddy’s sneaky entrance into this family.”

  “I swear, Dante,” the woman herself says, “I’d never betray this family. Not only do I love Ivan, but I need the protection you can provide. Going back there … it isn’t an option for me. You can’t imagine what I went through in those years as his wife.”

  I lean forward, my eyes piercing through her. “If you betray me, it’ll be nothing compared to what I do to you. Got me?”

  Her eyes don’t even show shock as she nods her head. Madeline knows me well enough to be assured I don’t play games “I promise, Dante.”

  “Good,” I say, standing to pace. “Now that we’ve waded through my brother’s epic fuck-up, it’s time to get to work. Ivan, I need you to trace all aspects of our trip. I want to know every single person who had knowledge of our moves. Not only every move I made but Piper’s trip as well. They knew she was there and even possibly had a preemptive plan, but I barged in and ruined it.”

  “I’ll get right on it, but I need details, bro,” Ivan says, his baby blues begging. “How bad did I mess up?”

  I pinch the bridge of my nose as I return to my chair, not wanting to discuss this but also understanding his need to hear the ramifications of his actions. “Do you know how I realized Piper was in Miami, Ivan?”

  My voice has a dark edge as I ask the question, and he senses it. It’s obvious from how he glances away as he shakes his head. Shame and apology battle for dominance when he finally returns his eyes to mine.

  Piper reaches over and grasps my hand, reminding me that she’s here. My voice is robotic as I relay the details. It’s the only way I can keep the monster at bay—to pretend that it happened to someone else. “As I returned to the hotel after losing my shit and beating one-eye to death before he could give me any answers, some fucking punk had a woman pushed against the wall right across from Carter and Antonio’s door.”

  I pause, remembering the scene, and my jaw tightens. Ivan doesn’t dare to breathe a fucking word as I fight to push it all from my mind and return to the same robotic manner as before. “I’m sure I don’t have to tell you who that woman was, or that the punk fucker is one of the men I killed on the road between the hotel and airport.” I pause and meet his eyes with Antonio’s hard blue glare. “We left a trail of wrecked metal and dead bodies scattered across the outskirts of Miami.”

  “Jesus,” Ivan mutters, removing his glasses and pushing his fingers into his eyes to quell the wetness that has gathered.

  The room is dead silent as he comes to terms with the gravity of his actions. Even Madeline’s sniffles are barely detectable as we all acclimate to the reality that we’re at war. Mob wars are messy and will only bring death and destruction, which is why diplomacy is built into our core principles, but we’re not dealing with an honorable organization.

  Ivan stands abruptly, pulling Maddy up beside him. “I can’t change what happened, but I can help find the mole. I promise, I won’t let you down, Dante.” His jaw is tight, and his blue eyes are filled with determination.

&
nbsp; It’s a little too fucking late in my opinion, but he’s right. He can’t change the past. All he can do is work to make it right. I finally offer him a nod. “You do what you do, and keep me informed.”

  The determination dims, but then it sparks back even fiercer. “Expect results within a few hours.”

  But just as he turns to march Madeline away, the elevator dings, signaling an arrival, and there’s only one person it can be. All eyes focus on the entryway as the doors open to reveal not only my father but Joseph as well, except their faces don’t reflect the fucking ire I expect.

  No, they reflect grief.

  My heart constricts inside my chest, as there’s only one thing with the power to bring this much anguish to these two men.

  Anna.

  “What’s the matter?” I say as I stand. “Is she okay?” My pleading eyes fall to Joseph, as his expression will tell me all I need to know.

  He nods but ominously adds, “For now.”

  My heart, which feels like it’s stopped in my chest, resumes beating, but it’s a fast-pace thunder as I start prioritizing. “Okay,” I say, blowing out a breath and looking to Ivan. “This can wait a couple hours. Family comes first.”

  “It’s cool. I visited yesterday,” Ivan replies with a casual shrug, causing my insides to boil.

  “What?” I snap, my hands balling into fists. “Are you telling me that you knew Anna had gotten worse and you somehow forgot to tell me?” I take one swift step and smack him in the back of the head. “Goddamn, Ivan.”

  I move away and start pacing to keep myself from doing further physical harm. Jesus Fucking Christ! A man can only take so much idiocy from the smartest motherfucker he knows.

  But as usual, the calming touch of Piper brings me back to what’s fucking important here. She stands before me, and as her hands press against my chest, her eyes implore me. “I think I’m at a disadvantage here, but whatever’s going on seems important. Being angry isn’t going to help.”