BLAKE POV.The raw pain in her voice carried through the room, the agony of it rending through my heart like sharp-edged darts as I listened to it, then the call ended and April glanced in my direction. My grip on the chair handle I sat on tightened as I struggled to keep my emotions in check. "It's done. She thinks you're dead now. Do we proceed with our plans. Do you want her behind bars... We can have her arrested with the evidence we have on her"."I don't know" I got out, my voice hoarse as my eyes lingered on the phone, willing it to ring again just so I could hear her voice. I was crazy. Crazy and bloody stupid, but I couldn't stop myself from longing for her, especially after listening to her. What if, no, it wasn't speculation at this point, she'd shot me not to kill me but to save my life? If she'd really meant to kill me, I would be dead. But then I remembered her voice, the way her gaze had brightened as she conversed with Burn on how she'd lost interest in me, how it w
GABRIELLE POV TWO WEEKS EARLIER.Footsteps approached my room and I braced myself for whoever was going to step in through the door. The door flung open and two people stumbled in as they were shoved viciously. They dropped to their knees right in front of me and I jumped back, my gaze darting to those of the culprit. Burn stepped in behind them with a sick smile on his lips, the two guns he held pointed at the back of their head. "I brought some audience for our little show".I stared at Keenan who couldn't meet my gaze then at Micheal whose little body shook in tremors as he looked up at me to deliver him. But he was wrong, I didn't save people, I only destroyed them, just as I had done to Blake.I met Burns's amused expression. "There will be no show," I told, my voice so quiet, it sounded eerie even in my ears.Burn quirked an eyebrow. "Is that a no, Pet, because I get trigger happy every time someone says no to me and I really don't want to have to blast Keenan's head off or th
GABRIELLE POV.I stared at Micheal, then at the gun that he aimed at me, waiting patiently for him to pull the trigger but he didn't. I waited until my fingers trembled. "If you're going to shoot an enemy, you should never hesitate"."You killed my father" he screamed, his hold tightening around the gun, his aim getting steadier. Yes, Micheal. Get mad, and put an end to all of this pain and suffering. "Yes I did, and I'll probably kill you too, so you better pull that trigger now that you have the chance," I said, meaning every word as I stared at him. His hands wavered, and then he lowered the gun as tears escaped an eye. I groaned inside, clenching my fist as we both stood in silence, his eyes fixed on mine. "Why didn't you let that guard kill me? Why did you save me? I don't want to be indebted to you for anything. Why did you do it?" He asked, meeting my gaze fiercely and I lost it. "I didn't do it for you! I killed him because that is only what I am good at. These hands only
GABRIELLE POV.Everyone gathered to hear me dole out the new terms to my rule, and anyone who opposed was shot dead immediately, their body burnt into ashes and tossed into the sea, not that most of them had anything to say while they stared at the head of Genovese at my feet. I wanted to shame him, even in death. He didn't deserve a proper burial. I was going to feed his head to the dogs he kept. The people in the room grumbled when I raised their returns to sixty percent but an arch of my eyebrow shut them up. They should be happy I didn't take them all out. Death was what they deserved, so they should be fucking grateful that I was letting them live. Simone stood beside me, his mouth clenched shut all through the process, but even his presence irritated me... Everyone that reminded me of Blake irritated me. The family dispersed and I appointed spies to keep an eye on them and report back to me about any misconduct, or any act of rebellion. If anyone broke any of the laws I'd lai
PRESENT. BLAKE MORENO POV. Gabrielle Genovese was standing at my door- and she was real... the fire in her gray eyes was all too familiar and my heart nosedived. The woman I would have given up everything for was standing right in front of me. With a gun aimed in my face. My head spun even tho I tried to come off unaffected- but my throbbing heart was still racing and my breathing had accelerated so it was a wasted effort. The memories that I had tried to bury slammed into my head with an intensity that made me aware of every part of her. Her scent assaulted my senses, and every inch of her skin that I'd explored called to me fiercely until It was overwhelming. Her hold on the gun didn't waver and it looked as if she was contemplating just letting loose a spray of bullets in my direction. But despite the threat she represented, all I wanted to do was relive every moment I had spent with her. I wanted to touch her, wrap her in my arms, and run away with her to the ends of the
***PROLOGUE GABRIELLE POV I crashed onto the floor, gasping in pain, my fingers clawing at the wet floor as the rain poured in torrents around me.I spat out blood, my insides quaking with every little move I made. I wanted to give up but I couldn't stay down. A Genovese never stayed down, even if I was tired, staying down meant defeat. Defeat meant death. And I couldn't die now, not after everything. Not after all the sacrifices I'd made to get this far. from the corner of my eyes, I could see Grandfather gazing down at me with a disapproving look on his face as he slowly rubbed at his beard. I struggled to my feet clutching my broken arm, holding my opponent's gaze as I tried to gauge him to find any sort of weaknesses, something I should have done right from the start. I focused my good eyes on him- the other was shut and mangled over from his deadly punch_ trying to anticipate his next move. He was larger than me, an ugly scar marring his hideous face. He was one of our solda
***10 YEARS LATER.Gabrielle pulled on a white shirt, watching her reflection in the mirror. Faded scars littered her back, a bullet wound at the side of her hip. A deeper scar from a butcher knife graced her stomach like an eerie reminder of how close she had gotten to death at the hands of her own family. She smiled as she remembered the scream of her eldest uncle as she chopped off his toes and fingers. She had wanted to end him, but he was family and Genovese hadn't given her permission.She grimaced at the memory. Even if she was the Capomandamento, her grandfather was still- what the weaklings that thought knew their family- referred to as Capo dei Capri, the boss of all bosses. A grin tugged on her lips. It was a suitable name when she thought about it. He wielded all control, choosing only to give pieces of the crumbs to those he felt were worthy. He was a snake. He'd lied to her and he was still lying. Gabrielle tugged on her three-piece suit, ruffled her short silver hair
GABRIELLE'S POVThe door to my office swung open, breaking my concentration, and the culprit did not even bother to be gentle when he closed it. I glanced up from my laptop, my reprimand dying on my lips as our eyes clashed.If it wasn't for his casual appearance, I would have thought he was a Mafia Don or a cop, and no wonder since he carried himself like a person who wielded authority, and wasn't usually on the receiving end of a command. Was he a businessman? There was no meeting scheduled for me this morning or did Elena forget again?I assessed him from head to toe as he got closer to my desk. He seemed to have no flaw, and he looked almost too perfect, and that narrowed down to two things in my head, He was either an undercover detective or just some guy my rivals sent as a distraction. They knew the kind of men I liked. This one fits the bills and more.I watched him watch me. His blue eyes were intense, and he seemed to have no trouble holding my gaze steadily. It was both in