Plain Jane and the Mafia Beast Read online

  EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2018 Sam Crescent

  ISBN: 978-1-77339-773-3

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Karyn White

  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.

  PLAIN JANE AND THE MAFIA BEAST

  Sam Crescent

  Copyright © 2018

  Chapter One

  “This will not be easy for you,” said Vincenzo Barbato, killer for the mafia and expert within his field. He worked for the Galiza family, the most feared mafia family in the world, and he was their tool. The one they used to dispatch, hunt, torture, and kill without remorse. Since birth he’d had a knack for … killing.

  He’d been found by the Galiza as a child in an orphanage when complaints about what he did to hurt people were heard by the grandfather of the family. He was adopted by them soon after their first visit to the orphanage. The people who’d been taking care of him just wanted the weird-ass kid out of their lives. From the moment he was adopted, he was made aware he would in no way inherit or be part of the mafia as a boss. That was strictly for family only, and Galiza had plenty of sons. Vincenzo would always be a tool. Someone they respected and used but could also be dispensed with. As the years progressed, his skills became defined, until he was the monster everyone feared. The mafia’s beast.

  There was no secret he couldn’t discover, no truth that could be hidden from him. He loved his work, relished it even.

  “Please, please, I was told the Galiza family was finished. That they were being overturned.”

  “And who told you that?” Vincenzo asked.

  He watched.

  Waited.

  And he saw the man dying a little inside.

  Holding his hand out, the man struggled, but Vincenzo was far stronger. The man’s struggles were useless as he grabbed a pair of garden shears used to snap branches and cut a single finger off. The screams began, but that was fine. Next, Vincenzo grabbed some pliers, and for the other three fingers and thumb, he pulled the nails out of their beds.

  At some point, the man passed out, and Vincenzo stood back, wiping his hands.

  “Please tell me to never get on your bad side,” Daniel said.

  Daniel was his guard, not that he needed one, but Galiza demanded he have one. Vincenzo took care of himself, and Daniel was a respected solider within the mafia business.

  “It is what it is,” he said.

  “Don’t you ever, you know, vomit?”

  “Not anymore.”

  “Did you ever?” Daniel asked.

  He smiled. “No.”

  “I thought so. You’re a freaky fucker.” Daniel pointed at the man on the floor. “What about him? What do you think his deal is?”

  “Loyalty was tested and he failed. There’s someone who is trying to rise up against the Galiza, and it’s my job to find out who.”

  “I still can’t believe anyone would be dumb enough to try this.” Daniel released a breath. “It’s a good job I didn’t eat.”

  “Weak stomach?”

  “It’s not the blood but the screaming. It’s giving me a headache.”

  “You sound like a girl.”

  “I don’t know how you can do it, man. All you got to do is pop ’em. One bullet to the head and they’re gone. No noise to deal with.”

  “That’s why I am who I am, and you’re you.”

  “Ah, you’re, like, a king, and me, I’m just a piece of shit?” Daniel asked.

  They were always joking about their place within the mafia. Neither of them had any real place. If Galiza decided to end his life, then he’d be dead. At the moment, he was useful. He made sure that no one could get rid of him.

  “How much longer?” Daniel glanced down at his watch.

  “You got somewhere to be?”

  “Not really, but I’d like to eat after all of this.”

  “And you think I’m the sick fuck.”

  Vincenzo grabbed the bucket of water and threw it at the man in the chair, who came to, gasping.

  “Names?” Vincenzo said.

  “I don’t know any.”

  For the next hour he tortured the man until he’d gotten every single name of the men and women who were part of the organization. Once it was done, he slit the man’s throat and proceeded to clean up everything.

  Daniel arranged for the cleaner they used to take the body and dispose of it. The warehouse was cleaned down, and Vincenzo walked out without a backward glance.

  “So, I’m thinking Chinese.”

  “Not happening. We’re going to Fabio’s,” Vincenzo said.

  “Dude, we always go there. Don’t you like anything other than pasta?”

  “What’s the point in eating anything else? Pasta is the best thing there is.”

  Daniel sighed. “Just once, okay. Can we, like, vote on it?”

  “You really want to do rock, paper, scissors on where we eat?”

  “Come on, man. You’ve got to give me something. Getting older is not easy on a guy.” Daniel grabbed his stomach. “It takes a lot to look this good.”

  “It looks like you could visit the gym a few times, my friend. You’re getting a little … big.”

  “Screw you, Vincenzo. I’m still the one with the ladies, and you have yet to find anyone to keep around.”

  “I don’t need to keep anyone around when I can have them when and where I want them. That’s the power I have at being me.” He also wouldn’t keep a woman around.

  Over the years, he’d seen more betrayals than anyone else. Women were weak. They were vulnerable, and a lot of them worked with their pussy. He didn’t need a woman in his life. He visited a couple of regular women who had no problem servicing his cock when he needed it.

  There were no attachments, and he was under no illusions that they saw many men, most of them members of the mafia. He didn’t have a problem with that. He wasn’t possessive. No woman had ever made him feel possessive in the least.

  “Come on, man, one go. If you win, I won’t ask again. If I win, we go somewhere else, and we can eat wherever you want for the next month,” Daniel said.

  This man was the closest thing he’d ever had to a friend. He’d stuck around for two years, which was longer than the last one, who he ended up putting a bullet in after only a day. He went through a lot of guards, which was his argument that he didn’t need one.

  Daniel was different.

  He didn’t look at him like a freak, nor was his loyalty focused elsewhere. He was part of the Galiza family and had no interest in killing the men that fed him.

  They were … friends.

  So, instead of beating him at rock, paper, scissors, Vincenzo let him win, and lo and behold, he decided to pick a greasy, old-fashioned diner as somewhere to eat.

  He hated greasy food.

  “You complain about your weight and we’re eating here?” Vincenzo said.

  “Come on, pasta is full of carbs.”

  “Burgers and fried chicken aren’t?” he asked.

  “Okay, there’s a girl I like and she works here. Also, I like the fried chicken and the pecan pie. It’s to die for.”

  “I could just kill you now,” Vincenzo said.

  “Come on, pretend to be human for one
minute.”

  “Fine. Fine. Let’s go and eat your precious food.” He didn’t mind going to the gym tomorrow. It was his off day.

  Climbing out of the car, he walked up to the diner that had a lot of people inside. This was a surprise. Diners were … old. He didn’t expect them to be so popular. Entering the diner, he had to admit it smelled really good, which again, was a surprise.

  He followed Daniel’s lead, aware of people staring at them. They were well-known wherever they went. Working for the mafia there was always a crowd of whispers. He didn’t mind and rather liked that no one would mess with him.

  Taking a seat in the center of the diner, he picked up the menu.

  “Don’t worry, the waitress will come and read out the specials,” Daniel said.

  “What is this waitress’s name?” He didn’t give a shit about the woman. All he wanted was some food.

  “Rachel.”

  Daniel was clearly pussy-whipped, as he was spending more time looking around than paying any real attention.

  “Hi, guys, sorry about the wait. I’m Arika, and I’m here to take your order.”

  Vincenzo looked at the young woman with sad brown eyes and long brown hair that was pulled up into a ponytail. She didn’t have any makeup on, and to many, he figured she looked kind of plain. There was nothing striking about her. Nothing to make men give a second look, only, Vincenzo liked looking at her. There was something about her eyes.

  There was a darkness swirling in her gaze as she waited to hear what they wanted to order.

  “Where’s Rachel?” Daniel asked.

  “She doesn’t work Wednesday nights. I’m sorry,” Arika said. “Would you like me to tell you the specials?”

  Vincenzo saw Daniel had lost interest, but he hadn’t. He wanted to eat, and he wasn’t about to be moved because his friend hadn’t gotten what he wanted.

  “What’s the specials?”

  “We’ve got our house special fried chicken, the three-meat burger, and also the lasagna is pretty good too. The pecan pie is the best and award-winning as well,” she said.

  Her voice.

  It was so soft.

  He could gladly listen to her all day.

  “That’s okay, we’ll take cof—”

  “I’ll have the three-meat burger please,” Vincenzo said, cutting off his friend. Giving him a pointed look, he waited for his friend to order, and once that was complete, he watched her walk away.

  She was on the bigger side, but that was more than okay with him. He liked women with curves; nice full tits, rounded ass; perfect body for him to grab onto and fuck. It had been a long time since a woman made him feel this way, and certainly never a plain woman.

  “We could leave,” Daniel said.

  “Why would I do that? I want to stay and eat.”

  ****

  Arika Jane tried to hide the wince as she grabbed the large coffee jug and made her way around the room, filling coffee, taking dishes back and forth. She’d been on a twelve-hour shift, and it was close to the end. Her feet were killing her. She just wanted to curl up, eat some noodles, and do the last of her English essay for college. If she got lucky, she’d find the extra energy to also start studying for a final as well.

  Rachel’s “lover boy” had turned up again.

  She knew for a fact that Rachel wanted nothing to do with the guy as she’d purposefully gone out of her way to change shifts just to avoid him. It didn’t bother Arika. She could work her schedule either way.

  Once she finished wiping down several tables, she walked to the two men that she’d heard nothing but whispers about all night.

  “They’re part of the mafia.”

  “Don’t look.”

  “He’ll kill you.”

  “Deadly.”

  “Dangerous.”

  “Mafia.”

  “Can I get you two anything?” she asked.

  “Do you have Rachel’s number?” the guy who’d become creepy stalker dude asked.

  “I can’t give out numbers of employees, sorry.”

  “How about if I make it worth your while?”

  She stared at the twenty he slid across to her.

  Shaking her head, she turned to the guy that remained quiet. “Is there anything else I can get you?”

  “The check would be lovely, Arika.”

  She didn’t like that he knew her name but knew there was nothing she could do about it. Her name tag told him what he needed to know. Arika Jane. The name she’d been given at birth when she’d been dropped off by an unknown person. No way of knowing who she belonged to, not that it mattered.

  They hadn’t cared about her, and rather than dwell on the family that didn’t care, she focused on her education. She’d been a plain kid growing up, never catching any family’s eye, so she didn’t anticipate being adopted.

  She’d stayed in the system from birth until she was sent out into the world at eighteen. Since then it had been one battle after another.

  She brought the men their check and took their plates and other dishes. A few minutes later, the man brought the check back to her to cash.

  “Everything was stunning, thank you.” He held the check and money out to her, and she took it. Glancing down, she saw a hundred-dollar tip.

  “This must be a mistake.”

  “Your service was exceptional, even if my friend made you nervous. Thank you. I will be coming again.”

  She tried to give him the tip back, but he wouldn’t take it. When he glared at her, fear shot down her spine and she nodded, quickly pocketing the money.

  “Have a nice night, Arika.”

  Watching him leave the diner made her nervous. She didn’t like the way he kept looking at her. She was used to being overlooked, but that man, whoever he was, looked right at her.

  He saw her, and she didn’t like exactly how deep he seemed to be able to see.

  The next thirty minutes went by in a blur. She helped clean up, as that was part of her job, and then it was time for her to leave. Grabbing her jacket, as it was cold out, and slinging her bag over her shoulder, she entered the cold evening night.

  She held the strap of her bag, staring down at the ground. The city was not the best place to be, and she found not lingering near dirty, empty alleyways was the best way of staying alive. She didn’t want to die, had no reason to.

  She may not have experienced the best start in life, but she worked every single day to turn her life around, and she rather loved what she did. Working her ass off, she had her own rented apartment and worked as many classes as she could at a local campus, constantly paying off those lessons so she was never in debt.

  Even if she was sick, she’d try to find homemade remedies to make sure she didn’t overspend.

  With careful planning she knew she’d have a good life. Once she had a career and enough savings, she intended to help kids in the foster system like her. Kids that were not loved but needed someone to care about more than looking right in the family. Not that she thought all parents were like that, but it just felt like it at times.

  “You watch your fucking mouth.”

  Head bowed, she tried to ignore the anger that she heard, and in the next second, gunshots exploded and pain seared her abdomen, taking her breath away. She’d been crossing the road, facing an alleyway as she did so.

  Putting a hand to her side, she gasped at the excruciating pain, stumbling as everything seemed to swirl around her. She couldn’t keep her balance, and she collapsed onto the ground.

  She’d been shot.

  Falling to the ground, she couldn’t seem to move.

  The pain was unbearable.

  “You think you can run your mouth and get away with it. This is for the Galiza family.”

  She gasped as another shot rang out.

  The sound of footsteps advanced on her.

  Tears filled her eyes.

  The two men from the diner.

  The two that were part of the mafia.

  On
e of them held a gun. The other looked pissed.

  “Shit, it’s the waitress from the diner,” the one asking after Rachel said.

  Arika didn’t want to die.

  “We need to get rid of her.”

  The one who’d seen her crouched near her side, his hand moving the bag out of the way, then the coat.

  “She got shot.”

  “She’s a fucking liability, Vince. You know what you’ve got to do.”

  She took a shaking breath as he moved her hand away.

  “It’s bad,” Vince said.

  She stared into his blue eyes, seeing the evil lurking beneath.

  He tilted his head to the side.

  “This wasn’t her fault.”

  “Drag her into the damn alley and be done with her. Let her bleed out. Or cut her fucking thigh and let nature take its course.”

  “I’m not going to fucking kill her,” Vince said.

  His words snapped out, and she tensed up.

  “I don’t want to die,” she said.

  “You will if I don’t take you with me.”

  “Vince, you can’t take her.”

  Tears leaked out of her eyes, tracing down into her hair. Dying right now was not part of her plan. She sniffled and gritted her teeth as she stared up at the dark sky.

  Now was not supposed to happen.

  She gasped as he stroked her cheek.

  Staring into his eyes, she didn’t know what he was thinking or what he saw when he looked at her.

  “For fuck’s sake, Vince, let me deal with it.”

  She cried out as his friend pointed the gun at her.

  Closing her eyes, she flinched, wishing and praying that he didn’t pull that fucking trigger.

  “Please, please, please,” she said, whispering the words.

  “What the fuck, Vince?”

  She opened her eyes and saw Vince hold the man’s arm. He’d twisted the gun and it was now pointed at the man who’d been about to kill her.

  “She’s not going to die. Not tonight.” He got to his feet, and she gasped as he put his hands beneath her body, lifting her up.