Free Mob Boss Milkmaid by Landry Michaels Page A

after my six months were up. “You should stop. I doubt Marco wants a woman covered in bruises.”
    Tony grabbed a handful of my dark hair and yanked my head back. “You just make sure you do everything he wants. Mr. Carducci isn’t the kind of man who puts up with shit from women.”
    I stared up at Tony and wondered where the romantic boy I’d fallen in love with had gone. “Okay,” I whispered.
    * * * *
    The moment I stepped into the mansion, a woman came forward and reached for Annie. I immediately turned toward one of the bodyguards in an attempt to shield my daughter from the stranger.
    “I’m Maria. Mr. Carducci asked me to help you with Annie while you’re here. I only want to put her in her crib for the night.”
    My initial instinct was to tell Maria to go to hell, but before the words could escape my lips, I took a moment to think about it. The middle-aged woman had a soft, kind voice, and I would need every ally I could get in the house. “Will you bring her back to me when she needs to be fed?”
    “Of course. I’m only here to help,” Maria replied.
    I kissed Annie’s soft, pouty lips before handing her to Maria. “Will she sleep in my room?”
    “You will sleep with Mr. Carducci. Annie will stay in the nursery next to my room.” Maria cupped my bruised cheek in her palm. I could see the pain in her eyes as she met my gaze. “I will bring your daughter to you when she needs you. For now, you need to be a bit selfish and heal.”
    “I’m fine.” I squared my shoulders. “I know what I need to do.”
    “Mr. Carducci won’t be happy when he sees you,” Maria whispered. “You should know he’s a gentle man when others aren’t around.”
    I almost laughed but thought better of it. Marco was a lot of things to a lot of people, but I doubted a man who headed a large crime syndicate could ever be described as gentle.
    “Mr. Carducci is waiting,” Vince, the larger of the two bodyguards, informed me.
    I ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to cover the swelling bruise with my long dark brown locks. “My suitcases?”
    “Already taken care of.” Vince walked toward a set of double doors. He knocked when I reached his side.
    “Come in,” a deep voice commanded.
    Vince opened the door. “Mrs. Amari’s here.”
    I stepped into the home office and scanned the luxurious space until my gaze landed on Marco. Holy moly the man was handsome. His hair was cut short with enough curl to create subtle waves in its ebony and silver depths. I had no idea how old he was, but if I had to guess, I’d say late thirties because even though he had those cute wrinkles around his eyes, his body appeared to be hard and fit.
    “Welcome, Ella,” Marco said as he got to his feet. “Please, have a seat.”
    I started across the expansive room, praying I wouldn’t fall off the five-inch heels Tony made me wear. The closer I got to Marco’s desk, the harder his handsome features became.
    Marco’s eyes narrowed as he stared at my bruised face. “Who?”
    I didn’t need him to expand on his question because I knew exactly what he wanted to know. Nope, the bigger question was how to respond. What would a man as powerful as Marco do to a husband who’d hit his wife? Unfortunately, I knew a lie would only get both of us in trouble, and dammit, I’d suffered enough because of Tony’s temper. Still, I couldn’t completely throw the father of my daughter under the bus, so I decided to take partial blame.
    “Evidently, I asked my husband too many questions about this arrangement,” I said, squaring my shoulders. It didn’t matter how much Marco intimidated me, I knew better than to show fear in front of the man.
    “Vince,” Marco said in a barely raised voice.
    The door opened immediately, and Vince appeared. “Yes, sir?”
    “I’ll need to speak with Mr. Amari in the morning. Make sure he’s in my office by nine.” Marco didn’t take his gaze off me while he issued the order.
    I still