Having faith, p.1
Having Faith, page 1
Published by EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ® at Smashwords
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Copyright© 2022 Lila Fox
ISBN: 978-0-3695-0619-1
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.
HAVING FAITH
Maclean Mafia Men, 2
Lila Fox
Copyright © 2022
Chapter One
Graham looked up from his desk as two of his guys strode in, dragging a small person between them.
He set his pen down and sat back.
“Yo, boss, we found this kid in the warehouse on Seventy-Fourth.”
“He was in the warehouse?”
“Yeah. The little bastard has been there for a while, too. He took one of the back storage rooms and turned it into his own little apartment.”
Graham studied the person who looked more like a kid in a dirty oversized gray sweatshirt and ratty jeans. “Okay, I’ll take care of it. I might have you come back for the body, though, so stick around.”
He grinned at the gasp from the kid and watched the men leave, waiting for the door to close.
“What’s your name?”
The little shit crossed his arms over his chest.
“If you don’t give me answers, I’ll get them another way.”
He sighed when the kid stood mute. “Take off the hood.”
The kid didn’t move.
“If you don’t do it yourself, I’ll come to help you. I guarantee it won’t be pleasant, and I’ll leave bruises on you.”
The hood came down, and it took a moment for Graham to realize the kid was a woman. There was no mistaking the adult female structure of her face, and although dirty, her skin was blemish-free and pale except for the bruises under her eyes, telling him she hadn’t gotten enough sleep lately. Her black hair seemed to be in a bun, so he couldn’t tell how long it was. From where he sat, her eyes looked green and were striking.
“What in the fuck is a young woman doing in one of my warehouses?”
“I didn’t know it was yours.”
“Ah, so you can talk?” He almost smiled when she scowled. “Do you know who I am?”
She nodded. “The brutes who brought me here talked about Graham Maclean.”
“Have you heard about us?” Graham asked.
She shrugged. “Sure. I’ve lived in the city my whole life.”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-four.”
He studied her for a while.
“Can I go now? I promise not to go into the warehouse again.”
He snorted. “You really think I’m going to let you stroll out of here before I get all my answers?”
“I was hoping.”
“What’s your name?”
She pressed her lips together.
“Listen, babe. I’ll tie your ass down and wait for as long as it takes to get my answers. It’s up to you how long it will take.”
She took a deep breath. “Faith.”
“Faith what?” he snapped.
“Moretti.”
He leaned forward and tipped his head because he didn’t think he’d heard her right. “Say it again.”
She cleared her throat. “Moretti.”
He sat back and stared. Fuck. This could get his whole family killed if they made enemies with the Moretti family. “What were you doing in the warehouse?
“Hiding.”
“From what?”
“My father.”
“Why?” He could tell she was exhausted and frightened. Her whole body shook, and she tried valiantly to hide her fear with a stiff back and a raised chin.
“He was going to marry me off to Gabriel Rizzo.”
Graham’s stomach tightened, and he knew he looked shocked. Everyone had heard about that bastard because he was a sick fuck. He was a sadist to the extreme. “I’m going to assume your father, like everyone else, knows what the man is like?”
Her chin trembled as she nodded.
“Why would he do that?”
“To bring the families together.”
Jesus Christ. This just kept getting worse. Having the Moretti family against them was terrible, but it would be disastrous having both them and Rizzos.
“Can I go now?”
“What would you do?”
“I would hide to the best of my ability.”
“And what will happen when they find you?”
She looked down. “If I’m caught, I’ll kill myself.”
He gasped. What the fuck? “You would just give up?”
She tried to laugh. “If I’m caught, my father will take me to the Rizzos that same day to prevent me from running again. Gabriel already warned me if I disobey him, he’ll start torturing me right away to kill my defiance and to punish me. As an extra treat, he’ll rape me and then let a few of his guys at me. So, yeah, I’d rather be dead.”
“I’ve heard about some of the shit he does.”
“Then why the hell doesn’t someone do something?” she yelled, surprising them both. “You know what he does to women, and then he kills them so they can’t talk. He’s a serial killer. Everyone knows that, but they’re too chicken to do anything about.”
He couldn’t dispute her because it was true, and Graham wondered why no one had.
“Listen, if you give me a gun, I’ll shoot him myself.”
“And then what would you do?” he asked sarcastically.
“Shoot myself.” She said it so matter of fact that he believed every word.
“Listen, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
“You can’t promise me that.”
His hand slapped down on the top of his desk. “I don’t fucking care what you believe. At the moment, we have to keep you hidden until my brothers and I decide what our next step is.”
“Where are you going to hide me?”
“In my room. But, first, I need Alastair in here.”
Someone knocked on the door.
“Get in the bathroom,” he whispered. When she was hidden, he called out, “Come in.”
He looked up to see it was Clarice. “What do you need?”
“I brought your lunch.”
He grinned. She didn’t like it when they missed a meal, so she would track him and his brothers down with a tray of food.
“Thank you, Clarice. I promise to do better.”
She snorted and set the tray on one corner of his desk. “I’ll come to get it later.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
After the door closed, he walked to the bathroom and knocked. “You’re okay to come out.”
Faith opened the door and looked around.
“Clarice, our kitchen lady, who’s more a part of the family, tries to feed me all the time. There’s plenty of food, and I’m guessing you haven’t eaten for a while.”
She shook her head.
“Okay, come with me.” He pulled a chair up to the desk where the tray sat. “Come and sit. Eat as much as you want. I’ll get more for you later.”
He watched her look at the tray with wide eyes before reaching out for part of a sandwich.
“How long have you been in hiding?”
“Thirteen days, I think.”
“And you were in the warehouse the whole time?”
She shook her head as she chewed her food, then answered after she swallowed. “No, I was there the longest, though. I thought they kept finding me.”
“That must have been scary for you.”
She set down her food and picked up a napkin to wipe her fingers. “Yes. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever had to deal with except the possibility of a marriage to that monster.”
“You should be proud of yourself, honey.”
Her head snapped up at the endearment he’d let slip.
“I guess I am a little.”
He nodded to the tray. “Keep eating. I’m calling my oldest brother in. He’s the head of the family and will help us figure out what to do.”
When she went back to eating, he got on the phone. “Hey, Alastair. Can you come to my office? I have a dilemma I’m going to need your help with.”
He set down his phone. “He’s on his way.”
Chapter Two
Her heart still hadn’t settled since the two brutes found her and dragged her here. At first, she thought either her father or Rizzo’s men had finally found her. When they talked about taking her to the Macleans, she was still fearful but not as much as before.
She’d been working hard to try to get her sisters and mother out of the house, but her father had them in lockdown until she was found. There were only a few people besides her sisters and mother she trusted in the house, and they’d been working diligently for the women’s escape. They had to do it without getting caught because if they did, they’d be dead. Then Faith would have no help or hope at all, and she’d feel guilty for the rest of her life. Both men had been her grandfather’s most trusted men and had always cared for her, her mother, and her sisters.
Her grandfather had been a well-respected person in the commun
She once heard him say it was the quickest and easiest way to make money. There was no merchandise to buy because you just took whoever you wanted off the streets, and bad people paid high prices for most of them.
Her feelings for her father died when she found out what a monster he was. But she wouldn’t stop fighting until she had her family with her.
Her first look at this Maclean took her breath away. He had dark hair like her own but with a mahogany tint to it, and it was very short. His eyes were a deep, dark brown that seemed to see right through her, and it unsettled her.
There was a knock at the door.
“Bathroom,” he said.
She rushed into the bathroom and closed the door until only a sliver of light could get into the room.
“Come in, Alastair.”
“Hey, what’s this dilemma you need help with, brother?”
She surmised this was the head of the family, and she started to shake. What if he decided to give her back to her father to prevent a war between the families?
“Our guys found Faith Moretti in one of our warehouses and brought her to me. She’d been there for several days.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Alastair asked.
“No.”
“Why was she there?”
“She was hiding because her father was marrying her off to Gabriel Rizzo.”
“Goddammit. What the hell kind of father is he? The man is sick. Fuck, both of them are—her father for putting her in the situation and Rizzo because he’s a psychopath.”
“I agree.”
She heard a chair creak and a minute of silence.
“Where is she now?” Alastair asked.
“Faith, come here.”
She took a deep breath, stiffened her spine, and walked out. Jesus, they were both freaking handsome and very large.
Alastair stared at her from across the room in shock.
“Fuck, I don’t know what to say, but I’m sorry.”
Her heart fell, and her stomach twisted as she nodded. “I understand. It might mean a war between our families. If I could just get a ride…”
“No, you misunderstand me,” Alastair said. “I’m sorry you had to grow up with a fuckwad for a father, for one.”
A surprised laugh burst from her. “Yes, he is a fuckwad.” She grinned.
The men chuckled.
“Our first order of business is we have to hide you.”
“She’s staying in my room.”
Alastair nodded. “After we get you safe, I think we need to bring Dad into it.”
“I thought that, too,” Graham said. “He’s dealt with both families in the past.”
“The fewer people that see her, the better.”
Graham nodded. “It’s just you and me who know who she is. Tommy and Ford brought her to me, but they thought she was a teenage boy.”
“Well, you’re certainly not that.” He turned to Graham. “I would have loved to have seen your face.”
Graham laughed. “Yeah, I was a bit shocked.”
“Tell those guys not to say anything about the kid until you check into the security of the building or something.”
Graham nodded. “Good idea. How will we get her up to my room without being seen?
“She’ll have to stay here until nighttime. There are too many people around during the day.”
Graham looked at her. “You okay to stay here? I’ll lock the door, and you have food and a sofa where you can try to get some rest.”
“Yes. There are also a million books to read if I get bored.”
Both men laughed.
“Hey, what can I say,” Graham said. “I love to read.”
“No joking, this guy would read the instruction manuals we got around here for new toys,” Alastair said.
“And a damn good thing I did.”
Alastair chuckled. “You did save us a few times.”
“You better believe it.”
He patted her on the shoulder. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.”
She nodded and watched them walk out. When she heard the lock engage, she relaxed. With a handful of grapes, she studied some of Graham’s books. She had just started when the lock turned again.
There was no way they would be back this soon unless they forgot something. Just in case, she rushed into the bathroom and left the door cracked to listen.
She saw a man she’d never seen start going through Graham’s drawers. He would look at the door and then open another and go through the papers. She watched him in the small area she could see from her vantage point, and she was able to see that he started tapping on the wall and looking behind pictures behind Graham’s desk.
When he was close¸ she hurried behind the door, and she was glad she did because he swung the door open, hitting her on the head and chest. She pressed her lips together and held a hand over her mouth to prevent any sound from slipping out. She didn’t dare breathe until she heard him in another part of the room. She looked through the crack to study him, so she had something to tell Graham.
He looked like any other normal man. He was on the slim side, so she surmised he wasn’t a part of the security because they usually had muscles. If she had to guess, she’d think he was a businessman with his buttoned-up dress shirt and nice pants.
The man walked back to the desk and spit on the food before he turned and walked out.
Gross. She was glad she still had a handful of grapes left, and she watched him the whole time. She waited for a minute before she ventured out of the bathroom and grabbed the first book that interested her, ducked behind Graham’s desk, and sat under his desk. There was brilliant afternoon light coming in the windows for her to see and read.
Chapter Three
Graham followed Alastair into the greenhouse they had built for their dad a few months back. He’d had a stroke a few years before and was in a wheelchair. He’d spent most of his time in his room until Alastair’s woman, Beth, came along, and she spent time with the older man and got to know him pretty well. They’d found out his dad liked orchids. Hell, that came as a shock. He also loved to grow things, so the place looked like a jungle and was humid when they walked in.
“Dad?” Alastair called out.
“Back here.”
Both men snorted. That didn’t help a lot.
“It’s good to see my boys. How is your day going?” Angus asked.
“We need your wisdom,” Graham said.
His father’s eyebrows spiked up. “Oh, really? This doesn’t happen very often.”
Alastair snorted. “Dad, this could be serious.”
Angus wiped his hands off and then moved his chair farther back to a table and chairs. A pitcher of lemonade and glasses waited for them.
“All right. Get on with it.”
Graham went over what had transpired the last few hours, and his dad listened intently and nodded until he was done. Then he gave his father a minute to think about what he’d told him.
“Well, this is a predicament. Both those men are very sick in the head.”
“Do you know what she asked me?” Graham asked. “If everyone knows about Rizzo and the things he does to women, why hasn’t anyone done anything about it? I agree with her. Why hasn’t that happened?”
“From what I understand, some treaty was signed between several families. They’d leave Rizzo alone, but he had to pay every family and give them contacts that would help their families. I was asked to sign it, and I said no. The bastard told us that he only played with masochists, and they enjoyed it.”
“And everyone believed him?”
Angus shook his head. “I don’t think anyone did. You’ve got to remember that women are seen as a commodity with some Mafia families. They don’t care about their wives or daughters like normal people.”
“What do we do?” Graham asked.
