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  Scandalous Prince

  A Mafia Royals Romance, Book 2

  by Rachel Van Dyken

  Copyright © 2020 RACHEL VAN DYKEN

  This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters, and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events and persons, living or dead, are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names, or named features are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or part, electronically or mechanically, constitutes a copyright violation.

  SCANDALOUS PRINCE

  Copyright © 2020 RACHEL VAN DYKEN

  ISBN: 978-1-946061-43-0

  Cover Design by Jena Brignola

  Editing by Kay Springsteen

  Formatting & Editing by Jill Sava, Love Affair With Fiction

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Author Note

  Who’s Who in the Cosa Nostra

  Mafia Royals

  Epigraph

  Prologue One

  Prologue Two

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgments

  About The Author

  Also By Rachel Van Dyken

  Dedication

  To my readers, this entire series is for you. I hope it gives you some normalcy in 2020 and I hope it feels like coming home, and also, I’m sorry in advance, HAHA just kidding, stop freaking out… it’s the mafia after all. Blood in. No out—pour some wine!

  Author Note

  This is a standalone within a brand new series; I know you probably already know that since you picked up this book, but hey, let’s just repeat it again! ;) If you recognize some of the names in this book, it’s because back in 2010, I wrote a series called Eagle Elite, and the parents in this series are the OG’s of Eagle Elite. That series got extremely long (as you can imagine), so I decided we needed fresh blood back at Eagle Elite University, and that started with Ruthless Princess and continues the saga with Scandalous Prince.

  If you are an EE fan, then this is the part where you may nerd out and want a family tree; I have that on the very next page, NEVER FEAR! If you’re new, just scroll on by, it won’t matter to you, haha, and you’ll be like yeah, I don’t care. And you don’t NEED to know any backstory, because again, this is a new series (do you like how I keep repeating that), oh by the way, it’s a new series.

  PHEW okay so… this one is a bit different than Ruthless Princess, and if you’re new to the series or my mafia books, know that the research I do is extensive—to the point that for ten years, my research into the Italian mafia has matched how long it takes to write the books as well. I also rely on my Italian readers, HEAVILY, to make sure that things like family dinners are authentic (Eat, EAT! Lol). Know that this book came from a place and a story that I felt needed to be told. Like I said, it’s different, but in a good way, it’s not like the other EE books; then again, I don’t think it should be; the last thing you guys want is the same thing over and over again. I hope you enjoy the story!

  Pour a glass of wine, maybe a cup of gin, HA kidding…it’s just Breaker’s favorite, and please, escape for a little bit into the world of the Elite.

  Blood in, no out. Let’s meet our Scandalous Prince, Breaker Campisi, aka Breaker of Hearts Keeper of Souls…

  Who’s Who in the Cosa Nostra

  Nixon and Trace Abandonato. Nixon is the boss of the Abandonato Family; he's a bit psycho, has a lip ring, and in his mid-forties, looks like a freaking badass. Think if Jason Momoa and Channing Tatum had a baby. SURPRISE, Nixon! Trace is the love of his life. Nixon’s daughter, Serena, is his pride and joy; she's the heir to his throne and in love with Junior Nicolasi. His adopted son Dom is ten years older than Serena. At thirty, he's ready to step in if he needs to, but he really doesn't want to, not that he's thinking about a family of his own. Nixon’s youngest, Bella, was a most welcome surprise.

  Phoenix and Bee Nicolasi (formerly De Lange) have one son, Junior, and he's everything. The same age as Serena, he has only ever had one thing on his mind. Her. And now he has her. Pursuing her was like signing his own death sentence. The one rule that the bosses gave all the cousins, all the kids, no dating each other, it complicates things. They all took a blood oath. But he risked it all, for just one taste—and is still here to tell about it.

  Which brings us to Chase and Luciana Abandonato, their love story is one for the ages. He had Violet first, gorgeous, Violet Emiliana Abandonato. And then he had twins, God help him. Asher (Marco) and Izzy. All are attending Eagle Elite University. Violet is more into books than people. And the twins, well they are polar opposites. While Izzy is quiet and reserved, taking after her uncle Sergio in the tech support part of the mafia, Asher was an assassin at age twelve. He takes care of everyone even though he's younger than Serena and Junior. He feels it's his job to make sure everyone is safe, so when he was unable to do that for his girlfriend, Claire—he was inconsolable. She was his soul mate, and he'd do anything for her. And don’t forget the baby of the family, Ariel, who everyone dotes on.

  Tex and Mo Campisi. He's the godfather of this joint, gorgeous, he's a gentle giant unless he's pissed, and his wife, Mo, is just as violent as he is. They have two sons, Breaker and King. Breaker is in his sophomore year at Eagle Elite, and he can't wait to release his own flirtations onto the campus. He's a force to be reckoned with, just walks around with chicks and shrugs. King, on the other hand, is vying for top whore at his own high school; I mean, they say high school is supposed to be memorable, right? He just can't remember any of the girls’ names, so he calls them all Sarah. It's a thing.

  Sergio and Valentina are also Abandonatos. While Val is quiet and reserved, Sergio is the resident doctor of the Families. He's also really into tech and loves spying on people. They have two gorgeous daughters. Kartini has her daddy wrapped around her little finger. He just hopes he survives her last year of high school without shooting one of her boyfriends. With Lydia, he knows she can take care of herself. She already beat up the class bully, making Sergio quite proud.

  Dante and El don't have things easier; they're one of the younger mafia families, he's the head of the Alfero Family. And he has two twin girls at age ten who are making him pull his hair out. Raven and Tempest are adorable, but they're feisty like their mom. He lets them have more screen time than he should, but they say he's their favorite in the world, sooooo… he lets it pass.

  Andrei and Alice have been through a lot. Their name single-handedly brought the Russian Mafia into the Italian fold. Andrei is both Petrov and Sinaco
re, meaning that the oldest Italian mafia family is now part of the Cosa Nostra. Forever. Their son's name is Maksim, and weirdly enough, he's a total flirt; he takes nothing seriously but can flip a switch in a minute if someone he loves is threatened. Anya is his little sister, and he would do anything for her; she seems fragile but studies Krav Maga, so nobody messes with her.

  These are the Families of the Cosa Nostra.

  Welcome to the Family.

  Blood in. No out.

  Mafia Royals

  Mafia Royals Romances

  Royal Bully

  Royal Bully is a prequel novella that is FREE Everywhere!

  Ruthless Princess

  Scandalous Prince

  Destructive King

  Mafia King

  Fallen Dynasty

  Breaker’s Lullaby

  I am so thrilled to bring this original song to you!

  I had an amazing time working with Indi Anderson as she put music to my words.

  Breaker’s Lullaby is the soul of this book! Listen and dive just a bit deeper into his psyche!

  Listen to Breaker’s Lullaby

  Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both, And be one traveler, long I stood, And looked down one as far as I could…

  —Robert Frost

  Prologue One

  I loved her against reason, against promise, against peace, against hope, against happiness, against all discouragement that could be. —Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

  Valerian

  I watched her often.

  Sometimes I imagined I was her guardian angel, or maybe her avenging knight, the fallen hero who would never have her but could watch from afar.

  Watching, after all, didn’t mean touching.

  She was wearing white again, so pure as she did a twirl under his hand and then threw her head back and laughed as he bowed, she curtsied, and then the rest of them joined in, the cousins of the Italian mafia.

  The royals.

  The untouchables.

  They had no idea how lucky they were to grow up in a house where parents loved you rather than told you that you shouldn’t have been born. Of course, that was after, but that didn’t lessen the effects of those words.

  Bastard.

  Liar.

  Fool.

  For years, I thought that my middle name was Bastard until one of the men took pity on me and told me it was just Valerian.

  Imagine a ten-year-old, introducing himself as Bastard and not understanding why everyone around him laughed and mocked him in Russian.

  Her laugh brought my thoughts back to the present as I stood behind the tree and continued watching, hiding my face in the shadows like I always did when I watched.

  She may as well be a siren.

  My siren.

  And I, the pathetic sailor, begging for her to just let me drown in her arms.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket, interrupting my stalking. I quickly answered it. “Da?”

  “Pora Umerit.”

  I hung up.

  I had always known the day would come.

  “Time to die,” he’d said.

  Was it so wrong to hope to see her in my dreams?

  “One day,” I whispered, my accent thicker than usual. “I will have you, Violet Abandonato, and it will be my name you scream… not his.”

  I turned on my heel and walked off.

  Because sometimes, dying meant you were finally going to get a chance to live.

  Prologue Two

  The Beginning…

  Some say the world will end in fire. Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire, I hold with those who prefer fire, but if I had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate, to say that for destruction ice, is also great, and would suffice —Robert Frost

  Breaker

  Christmas 2019

  I tapped the thick red invitation against my thigh. My all-black suit felt like it was choking the life out of me; at least I didn’t have to wear a tie. With my free hand, I adjusted the red mask on my face. You could see my un-naturally green eyes, square jaw, and full lips, but that was it.

  And wasn’t that the point?

  Secrecy.

  Power.

  Greed.

  Smokescreens.

  “Sir.” An attendant dressed in an all-red suit and black mask held out a tray of red wine. I almost rolled my eyes. Were we fucking mafia vampires now?

  Bad enough that I had to even be there when every one of my cousins got a free pass—everyone but Chase’s kids who were probably bored to tears and ready to set fire to the place.

  So many politicians and celebrities to rub shoulders with. My presence alone should make them feel uncomfortable. I was armed to the teeth, ready to act if needed, and prepared to do the one thing I promised Chase I’d do.

  Make sure Violet didn’t try to sneak off.

  They’d gotten in another fight about the facade of being both a politician’s daughter and underboss’s daughter and feeling like a fraud every single time she wore her white dress and perfect nude heels and smiled for the cameras.

  She would be easy to pick out in the crowd.

  Her sleek black hair was the envy of literally every female I knew, and that matched with her light blue eyes, seriously hot body, and high cheekbones and full lips made her look like a fallen angel.

  One I would desperately like to corrupt. Not that we hadn’t had our moments, some of them embarrassingly fast, but most of them firsts because—regardless of how she treated me in front of her dad—she trusted me, and I was in love with her. The shitty part was that she never let me get that far, almost like she knew the minute we crossed that line, there would be no going back and only death in our future.

  Delivered from Dear Old Dad himself.

  I smirked to myself.

  Right, the last thing I needed was Chase Abandonato murdering me for touching his perfect daughter.

  After all, my blood was no good, according to him.

  He didn’t know though—none of them did—how easy it was for me to play the dumb sheep when I’d been a wolf since birth.

  Ready to devour the innocent.

  Corrupt the powerful.

  And take my rightful place on the stolen throne.

  I was running out of time.

  This year I would need to choose.

  This year would be the year my adopted dad would find out and force me to make a choice.

  I downed the wine in one gulp.

  “Gulping wine, how savage of you,” came Andrei Petrov’s rough voice from behind me.

  I steeled my expression, chased away the easy-going smile and wink for the cameras as I shed every last emotion and turned to give the boss of both the Russian Petrov Family and the Italian Sinacore Family a cold look.

  “Vodka does go down better,” I commented.

  “That’s the spirit.” He put his hand on my shoulder and gripped until his fingers dug into my muscle so miserably hard that I winced.

  Sick bastard liked to torture people by dangling them in a fucking tiger cage; the last thing I wanted was to get on his bad side.

  “Did you need something?” I asked in a bored tone, jerking out of his reach.

  Those passing by gave us a wide berth, their ill-concealed whispers drifting to my ears.

  “Monster…”

  “Murderer…”

  And then, of course, “Gorgeous,” from a few women who watched with rapt fascination even though he was married.

  “A favor.” He licked his lips and grinned over my head.

  Slowly, I turned.

  There she was in all her stunning glory, dancing with her father and smiling. Violet Abandonato, my mission, my curse, the one woman I wasn’t allowed to touch, like the pretty crystal you save for special occasions, the silver you only polish during Christmas.

  I might as well be dirt beneath her fingernails.

  Chase shot me a wink that just dripped with fake enthusiasm.

/>   I nearly flipped him off in return.

  “What’s this favor have to do with?”

  “Some… associates.”

  “So, some assholes? Awesome, where do I sign up?”

  “Rich assholes.” He grabbed a glass of wine from a passing waiter. “It won’t take long. My sources say a group of women were trafficked from Europe late last night. They’ll bring them to the club as per usual. I’ll try to get as many away as possible and as for the remaining ones…”

  Bile rose in my throat. “Can’t save them all.”

  “I’ll let them choose, I always do.”

  They either chose service or death.

  The only choices given, so it didn’t look suspicious, so Andrei could control the trafficking underworld without as much of a hint of goodness. They had to believe he was the demon he claimed to be when people closest to him knew best—he was their dark knight—their savior.

  The ones that stayed weren’t allowed to be beaten, but being sold in prostitution, no matter how high profile, wasn’t usually what little girls grew up wanting to pursue.

  “Wish I could help, but I’m on babysitting duty.”

  Violet did another twirl with her dad. The lights overhead caught the shine in her hair, which was pulled into a bun so tight that I wondered if she had a throbbing headache. Diamonds dripped from her ears, sparkling with each turn, and her white form-fitting strapless dress did nothing to hide the curves I was itching to palm.

  Andrei snorted. “Perfect little Violet looks ready to run away screaming. One day she’ll snap. I hope it’s you who gets to see it happen.”

  I cursed. “Are you insinuating that I should bring her to your club, where several high-profile people will be bidding on women? Are you insane? Besides, they know who she is.”

  Andrei rolled his eyes. “Nothing happens in my club without my permission. We’ll let her sit at the bar and drink away her sorrows.”

  “Yes, because that won’t make Chase want to murder me, getting his daughter drunk on guard duty,” I spat.