Reclaim

Reclaim MAFIA PRINCESS OF ROXBURY PREP BELLE HARPER JENNA DARING Copyright © 2023 by Belle Harper and Jenna Daring Edited by: Autumn Reed Proofread by: Jade Taggart Cover by: RJ Creatives All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Created with Vellum Contents Trigger Warnings 1. Isabella age 10 2. Isabella Age 17 3. Isabella 4. Arrow 5. Isabella 6. Isabella 7. Arrow 8. Isabella 9. Isabella 10. Isabella 11. Emilio 12. Isabella 13. Isabella 14. Addie/Isabella 15. Emilio 16. Addie/Isabella 17. Arrow 18. Addie/Isabella 19. Addie/Isabella 20. Addie/Isabella 21. Addie/Isabella 22. Adrian 23. Keegan 24. Addie/Isabella 25. Addie/Isabella 26. Emilio 27. Addie/Isabella 28. Addie/Isabella 29. Addie/Isabella 30. Madden 31. Addie/Isabella 32. Arrow 33. Addie/Isabella 34. Addie/Isabella 35. Addie/Isabella Redeem Acknowledgments About the Authors Trigger Warnings This is a dark romance. It contains on page Rape, alcohol use, physical, emotional, mental abuse, gang/mafia violence, attempted murder, betrayal, blood, gun violence, on-page sex, masturbation, stalking. On page rape is chapter 3 if you wish to skip this. Chapter 1 Isabella age 10 The only time I enjoy dressing up is when my father takes me to the Santoro house. Mom helps to dress me in my favorite dress, pink frills with a matching pink ribbon in my long, dark braided hair. I love when I can go see my friend Emilio. Father tells me I have to be a good girl and behave like a Romano would. But I never forget—that’s a lesson that’s been beaten into me enough times to remember—how to behave as a Romano from New York City. My heart grows as soon as I see Emilio’s big blue eyes on me. He’s a Santoro, so he has to stand properly at his father’s side and be good, just like me. He never smiles, not until we’re alone. I don’t know if he’s not allowed to like me. But just in case, I don’t ever smile. I don’t want him to get in trouble because of me. I look to the other side of Mr. Santoro and see his big brother, Adrian. He never smiles, even when our fathers aren’t around to see us. He’s mean and I don’t like him. And right now, the way he watches me has me taking a step back. Father pulls on my hand, and I stumble forward a little. I look up to find his brows almost touching at the way he scowls down at me. Blinking, I hold back the tears I know want to fall. I disappointed him. A Romano never backs down. Never shows any weakness. He doesn’t like it when I’m not a perfect doll. He wants me to be seen but not heard. To be a good girl and do as I’m told. I stare down at my shoes; they’re white and shiny. They’re perfect. I’m not. “Go,” he commands me, letting go of my hand after he’s greeted Emilio’s father. I know I can’t run, even though I want to. I want to chase Emilio around in his big yard and smell all the pretty roses he has in his garden. I cautiously take steps toward Emilio. He holds still, watching over my shoulder at the retreating figures of our fathers as they go into the office. An office we’re never allowed to go into. Emilio smiles down at me when I stand beside him. He’s always been taller than me. It just means he can reach the cookies better when we sneak into the kitchen. He reaches for my hand and takes it in his warm one. I instantly feel safe and my shoulders relax. Only with Emilio do I feel this way, but he’s the only one to ever hold my hand so gently. Father bruises it in his grip and Mom only holds it to warn me when I’m being bad. “We have pink roses in the garden. Do you want to go see them?” he asks, my cheeks warming at the way he smiles at me. I nod and he tugs on my hand to lead me outside. He remembers how much I love the roses here. I don’t come here often; Emilio usually comes to my home. Sometimes, he sneaks me roses. I keep them hidden in a treasure box I hide in my closet. His house is huge. So is mine, but not the same way. We live in a big house with no rose garden. Emilio’s mom loves her roses, and they’re always so pretty. Each time I visit, she lets me take some to give to my mom. I like his mom—she’s nice. As soon as I see the pink roses, I let go of Emilio’s hand and run to them. I giggle as I take one and gently pull it to my nose and smell the floral scent. It’s warm from the sun, and I turn to see Emilio grinning at me. “They are so pretty, Leo.” He smiles at my nickname for him. I had a hard time saying his name when we first met years ago, so I started calling him Leo. He said that’s a lion’s name, not his name. I told him that he’s brave like a lion. After that, he asked me to call him Leo. I do whenever we’re alone. It’s our secret. Like the way he calls me Izzy. No one else calls me that, and he never says it when anyone’s around. He pulls out some scissors from his pocket, and my eyes widen as he cuts the rose for me. I giggle as I reach over and take it from him. I spin the stem around in my hand as I smell the beautiful rose. Feeling a prick on my finger, I look down to see a small drop of red