All Chapters of BEAUTY & THE GANGSTER : Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

MIA'S POVHe stood in the doorway—mid-forties, bearded, simple clothes, eyes dull but dangerous. The moment his gaze locked on me, my stomach twisted.“Dad, look at what Mia got for me!” Vicky chirped, lifting her chips.He didn’t look at her. Only me.“Go to your room,” he ordered.“But Dad—”“Now.”She deflated and slipped away, leaving me alone with him. My fingers tightened around the small bag in my hand.“Welcome home, Mia,” he said, voice almost a snarl.“I… I brought what Mom asked for.” My voice shook. “Where is she?”Instead of answering, he moved closer, eyes crawling over me. “Is it just me, or did you get more beautiful since last time?”I froze. He stopped inches from me.“No,” he whispered. “You definitely got more beautiful.”“Please… call my mom.” I kept my eyes down.He grabbed my chin and forced my face up. I whimpered as his grip tightened.“God, I’ve always loved when you tremble in my hands,” he murmured, staring at my lips.“Let me go… please.”“If you’d coopera

MIA’S POV PRESENT HOURS I walked quietly to my bag on the floor, pulled out my phone, and set the bag back down. As I moved toward the bathroom, a text from Mary lit up the screen. I stripped off my panties, raised my dress, and sat on the toilet, reading the message. “Mia, hey. How are you? Did he help you out? I haven’t heard from you. Is he helping you get your job back?” My chest tightened. Axel hadn’t called since I left his place. My heart ached at the thought of him. What kind of boyfriend disappears like this? Had he ever really meant it when he said he loved me? I shook my head and typed a quick reply to Mary before shutting off my phone. Finishing up, I flushed, tossed my dress aside, and hopped into the shower. Minutes later, wrapped in a towel, I glanced at my new little friend asleep on the bed. Carefully, I dried off, dressed in my old red nightgown and fresh panties, and climbed quietly onto the single bed. I lay next to him without touching him, reaching

MIA’S POV "I believe you have good ears, Ms. Jefferson. Go back and come back later. What is wrong with you?"Officer Kate's words cut through me again—this same lecture, for nearly a month straight."But I've been coming here for weeks! You haven't looked into my case. Jay Jay needs to go back to his real family. I can't feed him anymore!" I pleaded, tugging the baby wrap carrier around me. Jay Jay wiggled inside, his tiny hands playing with my hair.Kate chewed gum, eyes glued to her phone. "Because I know your type. Girls like you always dump your problems on others.""What the...?""You need to take responsibility. The police weren't there when you—""My boyfriend is white," I interrupted, disbelief heavy in my voice.She raised an eyebrow. "Never been with a black boy before?"I scoffed. "Exactly.""Please," I begged, almost crying. "Jay Jay can't stay with me. I've spent all my savings. He'll starve. You have to do something!"Kate lazily pushed a paper toward me. "Write a stat

MIA'S POV "She is clearly lying, Kai," the woman said. I shook my head. "I am not, please. I found him in a trash can on my street." The woman scoffed. "I didn't kidnap him. You heard what he said," I gestured at the dreadlock man. "I am just a cleaner. I don't work for anyone. I found him and saved him. I took care of him for weeks." The boss stared at me silently. "Please, you have got to believe me," I begged, hoping that he would believe me. "Stop this nonsense, bitch." The woman spoke up. "Kai, don't listen to her," I opened my mouth to speak but...."My nephew has been with you for weeks now. Why didn't you report to the damn police since you said you didn't kidnap him?" She asked. "I did, I did," I blurted, moving my eyes to the boss who handed Jay Jay to the same man who held him previously. "I did report to the police but they....they didn't take my report seriously. They thought I was his mother and I wanted to dump him on them" She scoffed in disbelief."I am te

BIG KAI'S POV "You said you didn't kidnap my son, am I right?" I asked, hitting the bottom of my cigar on a glass plate. "Yes, sir," "You found him where?" I asked without looking at her. "In....in the dumpster," she stuttered. The fucking dumpster. I scoffed. Fucking shit. I am still going to deal with the motherfucker that placed my fucking kid in a fucking dumpster. How dare they? The motherfucker is still out there and I am going to get him. I put down my cigar and got on my feet.I walked around the table, putting my hands into my pockets and I walked towards the white girl. Her trembling increased as she took shaky steps back while I approached her. I stood in front of her, noticing her five feet three compared to my six feet seven. Tiny white bitch. Another reason she could be telling the truth. Fucking tiny and weak. Her gaze rested everywhere but on me as she held onto Lil Kai tightly. "Bitch, you tryna squeeze my kid to death?!" She flinched, looking up at