Mafia King: A Mafia Royals Novella, Rachel Dyken [i am malala young readers edition .txt] 📗

of those.”

“Yeah.” She gulped. “But I don’t see a happy ending with his. I don’t see an ending at all if he keeps at it.”

“We’re family.” I reached for her hand. “We’ll be there for him, the way he was there for you.”

She smiled up at me. “How did I get so lucky to find such a mature old man with such a large dick to be my boyfriend?”

Annie choked and started coughing behind us while Ash leaned forward and patted me on the back. “Well done, sir.”

“Thank you.” I winked at him while Annie covered her red face with her hands, and Kartini just shrugged as if to say, “Well, it is.”

I loved that woman.

The ceremony was short.

The vows were beautiful.

And the next thing I knew, I was eating lobster next to Sergio and wondering if he prayed for me to choke on my next bite as he seemed to purposefully crack the shell open with too much vigor.

“So…” I started.

“No small talk.” He pointed a claw at me. “You’re moving your shit into the pool house.” He waved the claw around. “I’m not stupid. I know she’ll sneak in, but I figure the more distance I put between you two, the better.”

“Wait. I can still live with you?” I was stunned.

He frowned. “Why would I kick you out?”

“Well, that’s really nice of—”

“It’s so much easier to spy on you under my roof.”

I gulped. “Awesome.”

“Come on!” Kartini grabbed my hand. “It’s time to dance!”

She pulled me to my feet before I could say anything else to Sergio, and then I forgot all about his grumpy look when Tiny danced around me.

When I joined my friends on the dance floor.

Beneath the stars.

My Family.

Finally, I’d come home.

Epilogue

Kartini

Six months later

Tank: Gonna be home in a few, had one more errand to run.

Me: Sounds good!

I threw my phone onto my bed and watched my best friend pace a hole in the floor. “I should just call him, right?”

I groaned into my hands. “Look, Izzy, you just need to fix all of this. It’s causing stress between everyone.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “But Dad—”

“He let Serena and Junior be together,” I pointed out.

She nearly snarled. “You don’t even know. They nearly died. This is different, trust me. If you had seen his face...”

“He’s understanding.”

“Ha. My dad? Mine? Chase Abandonato?”

I winced. “He loves you.”

“Too much. It’s possible to love someone so much that you smother them to death. He’s killing me!”

Someone knocked on my bedroom door.

“It’s open,” I called.

Mom poked her head in. “Iz, your dad’s downstairs, he’s ready to take you home for dinner.”

She clenched her teeth. “Fine.”

“We’re in a good mood.” She grinned.

Izzy looked ready to scream as she stomped by her and out the door.

“Oh, and Tiny? Tank wanted me to give you this.” She tossed a burner phone to me.

“Huh?”

She just smiled.

It rang seconds later, when my mom was gone.

I answered it on the third ring. “Hello?”

“This is your mission if you choose to accept it.” Tank’s voice came on the line. “Look out the window and tell me yes or no.”

“What?” I laughed. “Are you drunk?”

“Just do it...” His voice was rough, dark. Mine.

“Fine…” I crawled off my bed and went over to the window, and gasped as I saw all of my friends and cousins standing outside.

They’d recreated Mexico in my backyard.

And in the very front was Tank, in a tux.

I would truly never recover from seeing that large man fit into a tux, his eyes bright.

He held the phone against his ear. “So, yes or no?”

“What are you asking?”

I nearly dropped the cell when he went down on one knee. “I was going to do this so many different ways, but I realized if I did it right in front of you, I’d sob like a baby, you’d call me out on it, and then I wouldn’t get through it.”

My eyes filled with tears. “Kartini Abandonato, I love you with my entire heart and soul. With my life. Will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

I threw the phone onto my bed and sprinted.

I sprinted down the stairs and out the door, and in typical me fashion, I tackled that wonderful man onto the grass and kissed him.

When he came up for air, he asked, “Was that a yes?”

“Shut up!” I shoved him a bit then kissed him again. “And, yes, that’s a hell yes.”

“Ah, little girl always has to make a scene.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.” His eyes filled with tears then.

He was on the Abandonato payroll and had been working a lot lately. I didn’t ask him about the blood on his hands or how he seemed to mature even more as the bosses asked him to move into the captain position under Nixon’s leadership.

I assumed he’d been stressed.

Not that he was planning this and nervous.

“Our lives won’t be normal,” I said once I stood and took his hand.

“Good.” He towered over me and pulled me into his arms. “I don’t want normal. I want this crazy girl with blue in her hair, who likes to defy authority.”

I lifted my chin. “A princess bows to no one.”

“True.”

“Except her king.” She winked and then did a little curtsy. “Your Majesty.”

With a growl, he pulled me into his arms again. “I’m so glad you’re mine.”

“Yours. Forever.”

Everyone cheered around us.

And when the music started, and I danced on Tank’s feet like I used to with my dad, I knew. I’d been forced to grow up, but I’d needed it.

From one true love to another.

From one mafia king to the next.

And when Dad looked away and swiped at his cheek just briefly…

I smiled.

Because I would always be his, too.

And he knew it.

* * * *

Also from 1001 Dark Nights and Rachel Van Dyken, discover Provoke, Abandon, All Stars Fall, and Envy.

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