Mafia's Angel Read online

  Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2022 Lila Fox

  ISBN: 978-0-3695-0702-0

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Audrey Bobak

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  I dedicate this book to my husband, who puts up with my long days.

  MAFIA’S ANGEL

  Maclean Mafia Men, 4

  Lila Fox

  Copyright © 2022

  Chapter One

  Angelica stood and looked out her mother’s office window in the house she’d grown up in.

  It amazed her how much her mother had gotten done since her father had disappeared a few weeks before. Her mother wanted part of the house redecorated because she wanted everything that reminded her of him out and away.

  The first two rooms she wanted to change had been her bedroom and the office. She would have thought her mother would pick a new bedroom altogether because of what her father had done to her, but then she’d found out about the secret passage in her bathroom. It had been a savior for her for so many years because she was able to see Trent and Mateo, the two men Angelica considered her fathers and who had devoted their lives to her mother.

  They’d taken her mother’s bedroom and the one next to it and turned it into a suite the three could live in comfortably. They’d also taken the first three rooms off the foyer and made them into three different offices, but each had a double door between all three that connected them, so when they opened them, it was like one big office.

  Angelica was thrilled to see her mother finally happy after over twenty years of abuse from her father. God, she hoped the bastard was being tortured. He deserved every bit of pain he got.

  She turned to face her mother, who sat in her office chair and patiently waited for her to speak.

  “Is it my destiny to marry a Maclean mobster?” Angelica asked.

  Aria sighed. “No, dear. You can marry anyone you want, but I know you. I know you have been sheltered your whole life, but I can plainly see the attraction both have for each other. If you want to fight it, so be it. This is your life, and I just want you to be happy.”

  “He’s just so damn arrogant.”

  “Baby, all the good men are. Look at my men,” Aria said.

  “I heard that,” Mateo said from the next office, making both women laugh.

  “I’m supposed to go over for dinner tonight.”

  Aria nodded. “Your sister Hope told me we’re all invited, but my guys and I won’t be able to make it this time.”

  “So, I’d go by myself?” God, she sounded pathetic and like a baby.

  “Yes. But you’re a big girl, and you’ll have a guard and a driver, so you won’t be unprotected.”

  Angelica rolled her eyes. “I’m never unprotected.”

  “I have to know my girls are safe, and the world we live in makes that nearly impossible,” Aria said. “So, I’m going to do everything in my power to protect you. Let me take care of my baby girls, please.”

  Angelica bent down and hugged her mother. “I know, Mama.”

  “I love you, baby.”

  “I love you, too, Mama. Hope told me I should spend the night because it would be late when the dinner is finished. Their dinners and after drinks last for hours.”

  “I think that’s a great idea. I won’t worry so much,” Aria said.

  “Fine. I’m going to go up to my room and get ready and pack a bag.”

  “Don’t forget to come to see me before you leave,” Aria said.

  “Of course.”

  Angelica made it up to her room, closed and locked the door, and leaned back against it. The feeling of being watched was getting stronger. She was afraid to say anything to her mother because she had enough on her plate disassembling the human trafficking organization her father started.

  If it got worse, she’d say something to Mateo or Trent. She had a guess who was doing it. Kenneth. He was a new guard that her mother and her men had hired a few weeks ago, and she sometimes caught the way he stared at her when he didn’t think she saw.

  It was the look in his eyes that scared her. It was a possessive, slightly unstable expression that he was very good at hiding.

  She had no idea what she had done to gain his unwanted attention, but it scared the shit out of her, and she didn’t know what to do about it. It had only been the looks she caught so far, but she had a feeling he would start to become bolder, and there was something off about him.

  I’ll give it time.

  The next few hours, she spent bathing, dressing, and packing a bag. She touched up her lipstick one more time before grabbing her overnight bag and leaving her room.

  She caught sight of Kenneth at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at her.

  “I’ll take your bag for you, miss.”

  She cleared her throat. “All right. Who will be with me tonight?”

  “I will be your guard, and Jamison will drive us.”

  “All right. I need to say goodbye to my mother, and then I’ll be out.”

  “Very good. I’ll be waiting.”

  She watched him walk out of the house and wondered why that sounded like a threat.

  She hurried into Trent’s office and made sure the door was closed between his and her mother’s so her mother wouldn’t hear.

  “Hey, peanut, what’s up?” Trent said from behind his desk.

  “I’m not sure. I could be seeing or feeling things that aren’t there, but the new guy, Kenneth…”

  “What about him?”

  “He scares me.”

  Trent tensed. “What has he done?”

  She heard the anger in his tone, and she had to tell herself she wasn’t being paranoid, so it was right to say something.

  “That’s just it. He hasn’t really done anything. I find him looking at me sometimes, and the expression in his eyes is … I don’t know how to describe it. It’s just off.”

  “I will definitely keep my eye on him.”

  “Don’t tell Mama.”

  “I won’t yet. Not until I find something. I’m glad you came to me, peanut.”

  “You and Mateo have been more of a father to me than my bastard father had ever been.”

  “And we will continue to do so. Aren’t you headed to the Macleans?”

  “Yes, that’s why I came in to talk to you now. I was going to wait. Kenneth is the guard that’s going with me.”

  “Fuck. I’ll go with you, too. I’m not going to leave you alone with him until we figure this out.”

  She exhaled. “Thank you.”

  “You never have to thank me.”

  She hugged him. “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, peanut. Have you said goodbye to your mother yet?”

  “No, I came right to you when I found out who my guard was.”

  “Let’s go now.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and led her into her mother’s office.

  “Are you ready to go, baby?” Aria asked.

  “Yes, Mama.”

  “I’m going to ride with her there,” Trent said.

  Her mother’s brow puckered. “Is there a problem?”

  Trent chuckled. “No, pet. I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay.”

  Angelica hugged he
r mother. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “I’ll miss you.”

  “I’ll miss you, too, Mama.”

  Trent led her outside. She saw Kenneth holding the limo’s back door open for her. A flash of fury flashed in his eyes when Trent told him he would ride along.

  “Go ahead and sit up with Jamison, Kenneth. I’ll sit in the back with Angelica.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Angelica and Trent got in the back. Trent told Jamison over the intercom to keep the divider up between them because they had some family business to discuss.

  Angelica looked at Trent as they started to drive off.

  “I see what you mean, peanut. Something’s off about him.”

  “I’m so glad it’s not just me.”

  “It’s not. I’ll talk to Mateo later. I’d rather have you stay with the Macleans until we figure out what to do. I don’t trust him.”

  “I can’t just invite myself to stay with them, Trent.”

  “I’ll talk to Alastair.”

  “I don’t feel right about that,” Angelica said.

  “I want you safe, peanut, and right now, that place is away from Kenneth. The Macleans have top-of-the-line security.”

  She sighed and admitted to herself she would feel better about not being around Kenneth. “Okay. See what Alastair has to say.”

  They talked about her sisters the rest of the way. When they pulled up, Kenneth was the one to open the door for them when it usually would have been Jamison.

  Trent stayed between her and Kenneth and reached for the bag the man had in his hands. “I’ll take that, Kenneth. Stay by the car, and I’ll be right back.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Angelica could tell the man said that through clenched teeth, and one glance over her shoulder showed the anger he felt by being blocked from her.

  “Watch your back, Trent. He’s not happy with you right now,” she whispered.

  Trent laughed. “Let’s just worry about you right now.”

  The door opened and admitted them.

  “Good evening, Miss Angelica and Mr. Trent. I can take her bag for you,” Martin, the butler, said.

  “Thank you, Martin. Is Alastair busy? I need to talk to him before I go,” Trent said.

  “I’ll check right now,” Martin said.

  Angelica watched the butler knock on a door down the hallway and then open it. She heard mumbling, and then the butler was back.

  “He has time for you, sir.”

  “Thank you.” Trent turned and hugged her. “Go find your sisters, peanut. I’ll take care of this.”

  Angelica nodded. “Thank you.”

  “Love you, peanut.”

  “I love you, too.” She watched him walk into Alastair’s office and the door close behind him.

  “Miss, the girls are in the solarium at the moment waiting for you. Do you know the way?”

  “Yes, I do. Thank you. I’ll go find them now.” She walked that way even though she wished she would have been allowed into the meeting, but she’d find out what was said later.

  Chapter Two

  Duncan looked out the window toward the women sitting at a white metal table with chairs surrounded by tropical plants and flowers. They were all very beautiful, but his gaze kept going to Angelica. The youngest sister. His attraction for her had grown over the past weeks, but he was still fighting it, and he knew why.

  The last woman he dated, Debra, had deceived him, and it was taking a while to get over it. It wasn’t that he’d loved her, but when he found out she was having an affair on the side and with a man he knew was a common criminal, it made him alter his beliefs in women. When the truth about his aunt Freya, someone he’d always known as a sweet, caring woman, came out, it had destroyed something fundamental in him.

  How could a woman hide the fact she was a serial killer for decades? It boggled his mind.

  He felt someone slap his shoulder.

  “Hey, man, how are you?” Blake asked.

  “Good,” he said and turned back to watch the girls.

  “Man, I know you. Why are you fighting your attraction to her so much?”

  Duncan looked at his brother. “Doesn’t it bother you about what happened with Freya?”

  “Fuck yes, it bothers me. What does that have to do with Angelica?” Blake asked.

  “I’ve been deceived by so many women lately, women I trusted, and I don’t know if I want to try again right now.”

  “I understand, but not all women are like Freya and that bitch Debra. My wife is one of the sweetest people I know, and look at Beth. You can’t get sweeter than that.”

  Duncan nodded. “I know. It helps to be around real women.”

  “Don’t let those women take away the best thing that will ever come your way.”

  “Just because Hope is like that doesn’t mean Angelica will be.”

  Blake slapped his shoulder. “Brother, they are all so alike. Yes, they all have different personalities, but they are fundamentally the same.”

  Duncan thought the same thing but didn’t say anything.

  “Come on. Dinner’s about ready. I’m going to go get the girls.”

  Duncan nodded and headed toward the dining room. He poured himself a scotch and sat down. He stiffened when the women walked in, and Angelica was laughing at something Hope was telling her. Fuck, she was so damn beautiful, and he wanted his hands on her so damn bad.

  Graham pulled out the seat to the right of him. “Here you go, Angelica.”

  “Thank you.”

  Duncan glared at his brother behind her back as she sat. His teeth snapped together when Graham just grinned.

  Angelica looked at him while she put her napkin over her lap. “Good evening, Duncan.”

  He snorted. “Are we playing nice tonight, Angel?”

  He saw a spark of challenge light her eyes.

  “Why, Duncan, you better know now I’m not very good at playing games because I have no experience. But, if that’s what you want, I can surely find a man to practice on and then come back to play with you.”

  The thought of another man’s hands on her made a wave of fury overtake every other emotion. It took a moment before he got himself under control.

  “I’m sure you can figure it out by yourself, baby. All women seem to have the ability to deceive anyone to get what they want.”

  She sighed. “I’m not here to deceive anyone. I’m just here to visit my sisters and Beth. I’m not sure what your problem is, but how about we agree to stay away from each other? I’m only here until tomorrow, so it should be easy to do, especially in a place this large.”

  “I’m sure we can,” he said. He could have kicked himself when he saw the hurt she tried to hide before she turned away to answer a question.

  For the rest of the meal and the family time after dinner in the living room, he watched her carefully, and she acted like he wasn’t even there. It infuriated him even though he was the one who told her to do that.

  He hadn’t realized he spaced out until a drink was spilled on his lap. “Jesus Christ.” He looked up to see one of the maids.

  “I’m so sorry, Dun—Mr. Maclean. I’m so clumsy.”

  “It’s fine, Larissa. Everyone has accidents.”

  “Here, let me help,” she said, blatantly rubbing his crotch with the napkin she carried.

  He grabbed her hand and yanked it away from him. “No. It’s fine. Go about your duties.”

  She smiled at him. “All right. If you need anything, just yell out.”

  Fuck, he was going to have to have a talk with the woman. He’d made the mistake of fucking her one night when he was drunk, and now she wouldn’t leave him alone. He thought about telling Alastair, but the men in the family had always been told to stay away from the staff because it just caused problems.

  He’d try to deal with it himself, and if he had to, he’d go to his brother.

  Duncan glanced at Angelica as she sat beside one of her sisters and knew sh
e caught the scene he’d just had with Larissa. Then she turned away from him. For some reason, it made him sick to have her think he was fucking another woman.

  Hell, he just needed to go to bed. He’d had too many drinks, which was starting to affect his reasoning. He stood and set his glass down. “I’m heading up.”

  Everyone but Angelica said good night, and it pissed him off when she wouldn’t even look at him.

  He’d deal with everything in the morning. Right then, he just needed to crash.

  An hour later, Duncan suddenly awoke when the hallway door opened. He had a gun in his hand as he reached for the light.

  It took him a moment to realize he was aiming his gun at Larissa.

  “What the fuck are you doing? I could have killed you.”

  She had changed clothes and now wore a sexy nightgown and robe.

  “I thought you knew I was coming?” she said.

  He sat up. “Where the fuck did you get that idea?”

  “Don’t you want me to make you feel good like I did the last time?” she asked.

  “No. I was drunk, and I regret touching you. I’m only going to tell you this once. Stay the fuck away from me, or you’ll regret it. Don’t ever assume shit like this, or you’ll find a lot of people aren’t as nice as me.”

  “Or what?” she asked and grinned.

  “Whore, don’t you get it? I won’t fire you, I’ll put you in the ground.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “What?”

  “You heard me. And I’m telling you now, I don’t mind getting my hands dirty. Stay the fuck away from me, don’t talk to me, and don’t even look at me. I’m going to make Alastair aware of the situation tomorrow.”

  A look of hatred hardened her face. “Why the fuck are you treating me like this?”

  “Because you’re a maid in my house. Nothing more, but for some reason, you think you’re going to be more, and it will never happen. Now, get the fuck out of here, and don’t you ever set foot in this room again.”