Severu, p.1
Severu, page 1
Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords
www.evernightpublishing.com
Copyright© 2022 Jade Marshall
ISBN: 978-0-3695-0707-5
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
For Jessica Fourie Kuhn
Thank you for your support, random messages, delicious coffee, and so much more
Being friends with you is easy
Author’s Note:
Severu may contain triggers for some. As a reader, I find trigger warnings to be spoilers, but as an author, I understand that they are sometimes necessary. Although I am not going to list each one, there are many, so please feel free to email me at admin@jademarshallauthor.com with your specific trigger(s) and I will let you know if that trigger is in this book.
For those of you that wish to go in blind, please remember that this is a work of fiction, and I DO NOT condone any of the situations or actions of the characters.
SEVERU
Cammareri Family, 2
Jade Marshall
Copyright © 2022
Chapter One
Lira
Three years ago
I wish I had been born a man. Being female, and in the police force, was never going to be a walk in the park. Add to the fact that I am an attractive female—by social standards, that is—and it’s utter fucking hell.
All I want is to be taken seriously. Instead, I’m treated with kid gloves. The men look at me like a sexual object, the other women hate me, and my superiors act like I’m incompetent. What I need is an opportunity to prove myself, but that is harder than finding a decent man in this shitty city.
“Blake!” my commander yells from his office.
His voice grates on my nerves, and I pray to everything holy that the transfer papers I put in over a month ago get approved. Without showing any of the disdain I’m feeling, I make my way to his office door.
Even though it is wide open, I still knock on the frame.
“Come in and close the door,” he says without looking up from the paperwork he is working through. “Take a seat.”
For the next three minutes, I sit in front of his desk in silence waiting for him to finish whatever the fuck he is doing. My irritation is starting to flare, but I try my best to tamp it down. Instead, I cast my gaze around his office.
His overly large, solid wood desk takes up most of the space, but there are some personal touches around the room. A framed photograph of the mayor shaking his hand, one of his family, and some framed certificates. He is an accomplished officer, but I have never liked him. There are too many rumors of him being dirty.
Commander Clark clears his throat before finally speaking.
“Your request to transfer has passed over my desk three times.”
I don’t say a word. I learned a long time ago that there are times to simply keep your mouth shut. Clark watches me closely, dissecting every minuscule move I make.
“Is there a reason you want to leave my precinct so badly?” he asks, leaning forward on his elbows.
“Can I speak freely?” I ask even though I know my honest answer will get me exactly nowhere.
Commander Clark nods in reply.
Drawing in a deep calming breath, I let loose. “I’m never going to get anywhere in my career in this precinct. I didn’t go through the academy and score the highest in my graduating class to ride a desk. I am passed over for any assignment that doesn’t involve children or domestic abuse.”
“And you don’t find those assignments important?” Clark questions.
“Of course, they are important!” I realize I have raised my voice and take another calming breath. “But I am the only officer in your precinct that hasn’t done anything else in the past two years.”
Commander Clark raises a brow.
“I pay attention,” I supply. “It is my job, after all.”
“Fine.” Clark scribbles on a piece of paper. “If you want out so bad, be here at six tonight. Vice is looking for a female officer to replace the one they had.”
I quickly grab the paper from his hand, tucking it into the pocket of my blue service pants.
“Thank you,” I say before moving to leave.
“Don’t thank me yet,” Clark calls after me.
I don’t reply or give him a chance to change his mind. I head toward my desk, grab my shit, and head home. I only have two hours to get myself ready, mentally and physically, for what could be the interview of my life.
Chapter Two
Severu
My irritation is at a full ten today. There are too many people in the house, and I am incapable of making sure that my brother and his family are safe. But it is Jennifer, my niece’s, first birthday, so I don’t have a choice.
Even though all the guests have been vetted, I know from experience that no one outside this family is ever to be trusted. I learned that lesson the hard way.
“Will you relax?” A hand on my arm draws my attention away from the guests who are milling around the lounge.
My posture relaxes a fraction as I turn to face Guilia, my oldest brother, Alceu’s, wife. She is holding my niece, who automatically holds her hands out for me to take her. As always, I take her without hesitation.
I never would have pictured any of us with children. Hell, none of us even liked kids, but Jennifer has us all wrapped around her little finger.
“You know it’s not going to happen,” Alceu says as he wraps an arm around her middle from behind.
“I want you to enjoy the party with the rest of us.” Guilia looks directly at me as she speaks.
“I don’t like parties, and I don’t like people,” I reply while Jennifer snuggles into my neck. “I will relax as soon as the last person leaves, and I know everyone is safe.”
Guilia sighs before shaking her head. “You need to let it go, Severu. It’s been more than two years.”
I roll my eyes at her as I sway Jennifer in my arms. She is going to be fast asleep in the next five minutes. The party has taken it out of her.
“I will never get over this.” I touch her shoulder as I walk past her.
There is a wingback chair in the corner that I know Mancuso, one of my other brothers, has placed there, especially for me. It’s a perfect place for me to see the entire gathering. I watch Alceu hug Guilia, and I know he is comforting her.
I hate that Sal still has any power from beyond the grave. He still controls so much of our story as a family. He used to be my brother’s greatest enemy, a constant thorn in his side. Until I put a bullet in his head. But Guilia still feels guilty for asking me to shoot her two years ago when Sal kidnapped her. I know it was the only way to defuse the situation without someone dying. I didn’t have any other choice. I had to shoot Guilia to get to Sal. But I can tell you that her scream still haunts my dreams.
****
I walk into Nocturn, the brothel we started up after Guilia suggested it over two years ago. We had found a warehouse full of drugged-up women. We didn’t have a clue what to do with them. But my sister-in-law suggested that we offer them work. Some of the women accepted and some wanted to return to their earlier lives. Either choice was fine with us, and we assisted them all in any way we could.
“Welcome, Severu,” Allegra greets me. “I haven’t seen you in a couple of weeks.”
Allegra is the manager of Nocturn, as well as one of the women we found that day. It used to be Mancuso’s job, but he was slowly going mad, and it was the perfect solution to put her in his place.
She ran away from home at the age of sixteen because she was being physically abused. After less than a year of living on the street, one of Sal’s men snatched her up and took her. When we found her, she was drugged up to her eyeballs, but at least nothing untoward had happened to her. Yet.
Just thinking about it is enough to have disgust sliding down my spine. What if we hadn’t found them that day? What would have happened to her? But we did, and there isn’t anything else that matters. She is here, safe, and happy. She also chose to stay within our organization.
Guilia forced her to complete high school before she was allowed to start working for us six months ago. That is exactly how we figured out that she is excellent with numbers. She was an easy choice to run Nocturn, and we haven’t regretted it for a single moment. She has become part of our little family unit, adopted as the little sister we never had growing up.
“Just been busy,” I reply as I give her a side hug. “How are things here?”
“Busy as always.” She laughs in reply. “You know how it goes. Sex sells.”
“True.” I chuckle.
“So.” Allegra watches me closely. “Is there a reason you decided to pop in?”
“Everything is fine,” I reply and watch her shoulders sag in relief. “You’re doing an excellent job, Allegra. Stop worrying.”
Turning, I head to the bar. I need a drink after having to be surrounded by so many people today. I still haven’t completely relaxed.
Chapter Three
Lira
&n bsp; I watch Allegra hug Severu Cammareri, and my mind is baffled. She is the manager here, a sweet girl, just barely eighteen. At first, I thought that she was being forced to work here. It is the main suspicion that the Cammareris force all the women to work here. But I soon found out that isn’t true.
Each of the women who work here is here of their own volition. They aren’t drugged up or abused. They seem happy and healthy, and it confuses the hell out of me.
“Bourbon.” A deep voice pulls me out of my musings.
My gaze collides with the obsidian gaze of Severu Cammareri. For the longest moment, I just stare at him before nodding. Turning away, I grab a glass and pour a shot of the top-shelf bourbon before handing it to him.
“Thank you,” Severu replies before taking a sip.
I don’t stand around and wait, instead turning to wipe down the counter behind the bar. I can feel his gaze burning into my back. As a cop and then an undercover vice agent, I have been around all kinds of criminals over the years. None of them have affected me the way Severu Cammareri has though.
He carries himself with confidence and has an air of magnetism that you can’t turn away from. It certainly doesn’t help that the man looks like a fallen Greek god. Dark hair, dark eyes, a strong jaw, and beautiful olive skin. He wears his clearly custom suit like a second skin.
I know I shouldn’t be checking him out, but I am still a woman. There is no way that Severu Cammareri walks into a room and all the women don’t check him out. He is simply that beautiful. The fact that I haven’t had sex in over two years probably isn’t helping matters.
I have worked my ass off to get where I am and sacrificed so much to be a part of the vice team. It was more than a year after I was accepted into vice before I was even let out on assignment, and another six months before I was given more than just a backup role. This case would make my career. Imagine that, the woman who took down the Cammareri Family. I’ve only been here a week, but I know there is more to this family than meets the eye.
Severu clears his throat, drawing my attention back to the man who was already at the forefront of my mind.
“Another?” I ask huskily.
Damn, what the hell is wrong with me? Drawing my shoulders back, I shake off the unexpected lust and face him head-on. I need to always keep my head around this man.
He nods in reply, a small smile tugging at the side of his lips. When I place the new drink in front of him, he takes hold of my wrist before I can turn away.
“You’re new,” he says lowly.
“I started last week.” My voice sounds unsure, and I hate that he has any form of effect on me.
Dark eyes study me closely. “What is your name?”
“Lira.” Shit, I just gave this man my real name. “Sorry, everyone calls me Faith.”
“Yes,” he muses as he releases my hand. “The name was given to you when you started working here. You should be more careful about giving out your real name. You never know what people are capable of.”
I blush furiously. “Allegra explained to me that it is a safety measure.”
Severu nods while taking another sip of his drink. Discomfort at having his gaze on me causes my skin to break out with goosebumps. It must be that. It can’t be the fact that I’m curious about what his rough hands would feel like on my body.
“How are you finding it here at Nocturn?” he asks conversationally.
“It’s fine.”
“Good. Thank you for the drink.” Severu rises abruptly from the barstool with the grace of a panther, tosses some money down, and leaves just as fast as he appeared. Long after he has left, my skin still prickles with the awareness that he was here. Severu Cammareri is one of the most dangerous men in the city. Not only is he lethal to his enemies, but he is also hell on my libido.
This assignment may be more dangerous than I ever thought possible.
Chapter Four
Severu
Lira. For three days, her voice, face, and body have haunted me. Auburn hair, honey-colored eyes, and curves for days. In my waking hours, I’m able to ignore the lust I feel for her, but the same can’t be said for when I am alone at night. In my dreams, she doesn’t look like a terrified little bunny, trying to escape me. No, she calls to me and welcomes me.
The sexual attraction I feel for her has floored me. Guilia refers to it as insta-lust. Something mentioned in many of her romance novels. She mentioned it the one time I asked her what she was reading, effectively ensuring I wouldn’t enquire again.
I know little of this woman except for the accidental slip of her true name. Inquiries have given me a small glimpse into her life. She is twenty-nine, divorced, and living on her own. She has no family or friends that I can find. The one saving grace is that she is nothing more than a bartender at Nocturn. I don’t know how I would manage her being one of the escorts.
“What are you thinking about?” Allegra asks.
Shaking all thoughts of Lira out of my mind, I try to focus on the ledger in front of me. Allegra wanted to show me the books and make sure that we are satisfied with her work.
“Why do you think I’m not paying attention”? I ask.
“Well.” She smiles. “I asked you if you wanted a drink, and you didn’t answer. Also, you have a murderous look on your face.”
Lifting my gaze from the numbers, I stare at her. After long moments, Allegra bursts out laughing.
“If I hadn’t known you for two years, I would fear for my life. But I know you don’t hurt women or children. Is there something wrong with the numbers?” she asks softly.
“No, no. The numbers are better than ever.” I sigh.
“Is there something I can do to help?”
Allegra is a sweet girl. From the first moment I met her, that was clear. She is driven, smart, and caring. Which is exactly the reason I drove four hundred miles and shot her father in the head. That man broke her, mentally and physically. I couldn’t stand to know that he was alive somewhere while she still suffered the effects of the damage he had wrought on her.
“Maybe you need to get laid,” Allegra says thoughtfully.
“Fucking hell.” I rub my hand down my face.
“What? I’m eighteen. I know what sex is. For heaven’s sake, I manage a brothel!”
She looks incredulous. Of course, she is right. But that doesn’t mean I have any inclination to talk to her about my sex life.
“I don’t want to talk to you about this,” I say, instead rising from my seat to leave.
“Don’t be that way,” she calls after my retreating form with a laugh.
That girl is going to give me a stroke one of these days. She is also spending too much time around Guilia. Her love of giving me shit about anything and everything already rubbing off on Allegra.
I don’t look around as I leave Nocturn, too afraid to lay eyes on Lira again. I don’t know how much control I have around her.
My blood spikes as I round the corner into the alley where my car is parked to find a man with his hands all over Lira. I know for a fact that she doesn’t have sex with any of the men who come around here. She is only a bar lady. When she starts struggling against his hold, the last control I had snaps.
“Come on, girl,” I hear the man say. “You can’t tell me you’re not interested.”
“I said no,” Lira says.
“You’re a whore, working in a whore house. You don’t get to say no,” he tells her, ripping her shirt open and sending buttons flying to the ground.
Before he can get another word out, I have my hand wrapped around his throat, lifting him into the air. My vision has gone blurry as rage overtakes all logical thinking. I hear his head hitting the wall with a loud crack before my fist connects with his jaw. The second punch lands on his nose before another connects. His head lolls to the side, and I drop him to the ground.
