Men of Mayhem (46 page)

Madison

She jerked in bed but couldn’t move. Rough hands pulled her to sitting. “Wake up,” Diego spat. Madison screamed and huddled back in the bed which was little more than a dirty cot. “I have to go see to Andrea but then I’ll be back.” His face contorted in a twisted smile. The man was insane. Why had she not noticed it before? “Then…” He grabbed her jaw in his clammy hands. “You and I will have a little fun.” Vomit threatened to rise and she struggled to get out of his hold. When he finally let go, she was on auto pilot. Her hand quickly connected with his face. The loud slap echoed in the room.

Diego raised his fist. Terrified, she cowered from the expected blow but it never came. A sick smile crossed his face. “We’ll have time for that later. Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you.” He took a step back before adding, “The first time.” With that parting threat, he was gone.

Trying to get her wits about her, Madison glanced around the room for a weapon, or even a clue as to where she was. Rubbing her arms to keep warm, she tried to concentrate. The sound of birds fluttered somewhere in the rafters. Was she in a barn? Getting to her feet, she dragged herself to the doorway but could go no farther. One foot had been chained to the wall.

The room had probably been used for tack, as a few old saddles hung on one wall. The amount of dust and spider webs indicated that it hadn’t been used in quite some time. At least he’d left a small bottle of water on top of a shelf. Madison cracked the seal and took a much needed drink.

Leaning against the wall, hopelessness took over. Did her mother even know she was gone? The shop was closed on Sunday, so no one would even notice she wasn’t around until Monday morning. What about Roman? He said he would call, but if she didn’t answer, would he give up? People were searching for Andrea, but were they looking for her too? With a heavy heart, she took one last look around for a big stick or tool of some kind but there was nothing. The room was empty. She had no clue where her purse was, so she had no phone.

She had to conserve her energy. On wobbly legs, she staggered back to the unappealing cot. Whatever was on the cloth he covered her nose with last night had done a job on her. Her last thoughts before slipping off to sleep were of Roman. She’d finally found a man she liked only to be stolen away by a man she hated.

Roman

“Where the hell is she?” Roman yelled into the phone. It was his fault no one had followed her home. It was sloppy and careless on his part. He had a man guarding Madison’s mom’s house but not hers. He’d floated on air thinking of her kisses only to come crashing to the floor when he remembered Diego would be after her, not her mother. When Arlo arrived at her home, her car was there but Madison had vanished. There had been a scuffle in the snow and her purse lay near the front door. His men were looking everywhere, but so far there was no sign.

Roman clenched his fist. He’d let his guard down long enough for Diego to slip in unseen and take his woman away—
his
woman. He tossed the phone on the desk and paced the room. Yeah, he was as crazy as Diego for thinking that some woman he danced with and talked to for a few hours was now his, but he couldn’t help but feel they had a connection. A relationship he wanted to further pursue.

It had been a long time since he’d met a woman who hadn’t bored him after ten minutes. She didn’t know who he was, either—an added bonus. Some chicks liked the thrill they got from sleeping with someone they thought of as a killer, a monster, a member of a mafia family. Then there were the others who were only interested in his ample bank account.

She had her own business and dreams and never once asked him anything that had him question whether she was a gold digger or thrill seeker. His head throbbed and he pinched his nose with his fingers. Fatigue set in. He hadn’t slept in hours.

“Dammit. What the hell’s taking them so long?” He blew out his cheeks and wore down the carpet some more.

The cell phone rang and he sprang for it. “What’ve you got?”

They’d found Madison, alone and unharmed in a barn out in the countryside. “I’ll be right there. When you find Diego, bring him to me.” Relief battled it out with the fury roaring through his veins. “Keep him alive. That bastard is mine.”

Madison

Madison awoke to an angry voice coming from the other room. Peeling herself off the dingy cot, she stood and tried to shake some circulation back into her limbs. Diego screamed and she jumped. Last night he’d kidnapped her. This morning he’d made threats to kill her, yet she was unharmed and her leg was free. She was also alive.

“Where is she?” It was Roman, his voice harsh and threatening. Had he come to save her?

On shaky legs she staggered over to the open door and collapsed against it.
A group of men circled around her abductor. Diego had been tied to a chair. Suddenly Roman’s fist smashed the side of the bound man’s face. Diego’s head whipped to the side and a few of his teeth flew to the floor.

“I’ll only ask one more time.” The menacing sound of his voice sent a chill down her spine. “Where is she?”

“I’m here.” All the men in the room turned. Madison weakly pushed away from the wall.

“I got this, Romeo.” In an instant, Arlo was by her side. He pulled out a folding chair and motioned for her to sit. Romeo—the mobster called Romeo? Months ago, Stephanie had mentioned a mafia connected man who was coming to town. A cold-hearted mobster who had a reputation with the ladies as well.

Roman’s dark eyes met hers. It was a side of him she hadn’t seen before. He was all business, with no pleasure and no compassion. His crisp white shirt, blood stained and the sleeves rolled up. A shoulder holster and gun completed his attire.

“Where’s Andrea?” Roman was in Diego’s face.

“Andrea deserves what she got. How dare she turn me down?” Diego spit blood as he spoke. “That bitch talked her out of it.” He didn’t and couldn’t point with his hands tied behind his back but everyone in the room knew who he meant. Madison’s spine stiffened, and Arlo placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

With a deadly stare, Roman kicked Diego’s chair and it fell backward. Diego’s skull smacked as it connected with the hard floor.

Madison jumped at the sickening sound and studied Roman as he paced. She’d hoped of making him her boyfriend, yet right now there was nothing boyish or friendly about him. Just hours before, she’d prayed for him to find her and he had.

A cellphone sounded from Roman’s back pocket and he held it to his ear. His face relaxed. Andrea had been found. Alive. The tension in the room eased. Diego would go to jail and the nightmare would be over with.

Roman faced her across the room. A fierce expression crossed his face. Pulling the gun from the holster, he marched over to Diego. A shadow crossed her view as Arlo stepped between them. The loud blast of a gunshot echoed. She screamed and sprang to her feet. Arlo’s hands gripped her shoulders but she could see anyway. Roman stood above Diego, the gun still pointed at the now dead man’s head.

“Call the cleaner and get rid of this mess.” Roman put the gun to his side and headed her way. It was the last thing she remembered before fainting.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled the blankets higher and rubbed the slumber from her eyes. Yawning, she opened her eyes and bolted upright. The room and bed weren’t hers. She swung her feet to the side and sat up. Once the dizziness subsided, she wandered into the nearby bathroom. At least she recognized the reflection in the mirror, although she appeared a little rough around the edges.

She was still dressed in her gown from the ball. The hem of the gown couldn’t be fixed, not that she would ever want to wear it again. When she returned to the bedroom, bits and pieces of what happened had resurfaced. The ball, her romantic walk with Roman, their kiss, Diego’s abduction, and Roman killing the man point blank. That fact alone should have her running for the hills, but surprisingly, it didn’t.

Roman had brought her here. Madison remembered a physician examining her and proclaiming she needed some rest. Since when did doctors make house calls? They’d called him Romeo. He was the mobster Stephanie warned her about. Steph had to have known who he was when she dragged her from the coffee shop that morning. If only she’d told her then, but they were both worried about Andrea and busy with work.

A knock at the door disturbed her thoughts and an older woman entered carrying a tray.

“Good morning. We heard you had quite the scare last night.” She set the food filled platter on a nearby table and the hearty fragrance of coffee, cinnamon toast, and bacon brought her near.

“My head hurts a little.” Madison pulled out a chair and bit into the sweet toast. The warm bread oozed butter onto her tongue.

“I’ll let Mr. Caponelli know you’re awake.” The woman patted her shoulder as she walked by. At least that explained where she was, with the mafia man Roman Caponelli, and this was his house.

“Thank you,” Madison managed to get out before taking a long sip of java. The caffeine instantly eased her headache and snapped her awake. Settling back in the soft chair, she managed to take in her surroundings. The bedroom was masculine with warm colors and dark wood. Did it belong to the man of the house?

Again, knocking sounded from the door, but this time it was the man in question who entered. “How are you feeling?” He took the chair opposite her and poured himself a cup of coffee.

“I think I’ll live,” she joked, but he didn’t laugh.

“The thought of that man touching you makes me wish I’d have skinned him alive before killing him.”

She shuddered at both the thought of Diego’s touch and of the man being desquamated.

“Are you all right?” Roman quickly knelt by her side.

“Yes. I’m not used to being kidnapped and seeing people killed in front of me.” Everything from the past few hours started to flash before her eyes. “You killed someone,” she accused.

Roman got to his feet. “Yes, as I have in the past and will in the future. I will not tolerate someone who hurts women or harms anyone in the family.”

Clutching her coffee mug in both hands, she pondered his words. Where did she fit in?

As if reading her mind, he spoke. “You said you’d go out with me. Do you think you can look past who I am?”

“I don’t know who you are.”