Pretty Little Pawn

PRETTY LITTLE PAWN JILLIAN FROST Also by Jillian Frost Princes of Devil’s Creek Cruel Princes Vicious Queen Savage Knights Battle King Read the Series Boardwalk Mafia Boardwalk Kings Boardwalk Queen Boardwalk Reign Read the Series For a complete list of books, visit JillianFrost.com. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, both living or deceased, establishments, businesses, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. Copyright © 2022-2023 Jillian Frost All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Author’s Note Pretty Little Pawn is a dark contemporary romance that contains adult content that may trigger some people and is unsuitable for everyone. The male leads are villains and take what they want. If you’re looking for the typical romance hero within these pages, you won’t find one. So if you’re at all hesitant, turn back now. It’s not too late. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 Chapter 70 Chapter 71 Chapter 72 Chapter 73 Chapter 74 Chapter 75 Chapter 76 Chapter 77 Chapter 78 Chapter 79 Chapter 80 Chapter 81 Chapter 82 Chapter 83 Chapter 84 Chapter 85 Chapter 86 Chapter 87 Epilogue Cruel Princes Do you like bonus content? Also by Jillian Frost Get to know Jillian Frost About the Author Chapter One AVA I felt them watching me from a distance. As I moved through the crowd, I sensed the Luciano brothers’ eyes on my back. Dante, Nico, Stefan, and Angelo—the infamous Boardwalk Kings. Each time my father forced me to attend one of their parties, they haunted me with their cold, intense gazes. My mother was a no-show for the charity gala. And without her here, my dad put even more pressure on me to perform. To act the part. After all, this was a performance, nothing more than a show for the Lucianos. They ran Atlantic City and owned everyone in it—including my family. All their loyal subjects were here to play their role in this sick and twisted game. I hated every second. My dad tugged on my arm when I glanced over at Dante Luciano, the oldest of the Mafia heirs. Dad didn’t like when I stared at his employers for too long. He also didn’t want me to draw too much attention to myself. One day, Dante would become the boss—the Don of the Boardwalk Mafia. Tall and handsome, Dante wore a black designer suit that matched the color of his hair, which was short on the sides and top, styled off his forehead. He stood between his brothers, Stefan and Angelo. The twins were only a few grades ahead of me when we were in school and around twenty-five. Nicodemus was the bastard of the family. Unlike his father and brothers, Nico had blond hair and blue eyes. But they all had the same olive complexion. All four owned every speck of fabric attached to their muscular bodies. But regardless of their expensive attire, they looked out of place surrounded by politicians and benefactors. “Try to smile,” Dad said to me under his breath as we moved around the room. “You look miserable.” Because I am. I offered fake smiles to people. And when they stopped us to chat, I spoke about my time at Columbia University and how I was about to graduate. One more week until I started my new job at Hoffman Stone as a junior financial analyst. My dad asked me to work with him, but I wanted nothing to do with the Lucianos and their criminal operation. Bored out of my mind, I drank flutes of champagne like a champ, pretending I didn’t hate wearing an invisible mask for strangers. However, appearances were everything. My dad and his employers cared about the optics. Bella Parisi strolled over to me, a silky red dress swaying as she walked, and flicked her black hair over her shoulder. “Having fun?” “Is that a joke?” I lowered my voice and turned away from my dad. “Save me. Please.” She tapped my dad on the shoulder. “Mr. Vianello, do you mind if I steal your lovely daughter for a few minutes?” He nodded and then looked at me. “Don’t be too long. I have a few more people I want you to meet.” “Five minutes,” I promised, even though I wanted to run back to school in Manhattan and never come back to Atlantic City. Bella steered me toward the bar and ordered our drinks. “So, how’s it going? Did your dad get any new investors for his hedge fund?” “Yeah, a few.” After the bartender slid the glasses in front of us, we moved away from the bar. I sipped from the glass. “He’s using me to attract new clients.” I had a gift for numbers. My father said I had the Midas touch with the stock market. Last year, I