Nora P.O.VPushing myself up from the floor under their watchful gaze, I tried to play it cool.“Ahh, I think I lost my way. I was going that way.” I pointed at the wall, feigning confusion. “I think I need to go. You must be busy dealing with some business.”I turned and was slammed into the wall—not a wall, I balanced myself and looked up , his goons were standing with their arms crossed on their chest . Like a dork, I patted one of their chests and said with a thumbs up, “Nice body, umm.” I tried to sidestep him. “Now if you excuse me…” The man shifted and stood before me like a mountain.What did their mother feed them in their childhood? Rocks!!I weighed my options. I have two ways : one, I can play dumb, and two, risk disclosing my identity.I am going with number one.I turned back to Robert with a wide, tight-lipped smile, hands fisted at my sides. His razor-sharp, stone-cold eyes were intensely focused on me while a small, evil smirk played on his lips. His dealer was lookin
Nora P.O.V. It was late at night , laying on my bed. My mind drifted in an old memory. ‘I was seven years old again, back in the foster home. Small and vulnerable, I was surrounded by the older kids who took sadistic pleasure in tormenting me. Their faces twisted with cruel delight, and their eyes gleamed with malice. I was there walking and talking punching bag. “Look who we have here,” one of them sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. “The little princess thinks she can hide from us.” I was hiding in the old storage room in fear. I was extremely scared of those kids. A strong hand grabbed the nape of my neck, yanking me forward with a jolt of pain. My heart raced as panic surged through me, and I tried to pull away, but another pair of hands gripped my wrists, wrenching them painfully behind my back. I was immobilised, helpless in their grip. “Please,” I whimpered, my voice barely a whisper. “Please, let me go.” “Shut up!” a boy barked, shoving my head toward a larg
Nora P.O.V The room was thick with tension as I approached the conference door, my badge in hand. I swiped it across the scanner, and the door clicked open. I stepped in, the usual hum of the fluorescent lights casting an unwelcoming glow over the sterile conference room. Inside, my seniors were already seated, their faces as cold and sharp as the steel chairs they occupied. Lee stood beside the glass table, his expression a strange blend of worry and frustration. No one greeted me; there was no need. This is going to be the same old story of hell. I slid into a chair near the end of the table, placing my bag beside me, my expression neutral. The silence stretched as I waited, steadying myself for the scolding that was inevitably coming my way. Agent Thompson, the oldest and most formidable of the group, finally broke the silence. “What were you thinking?” His voice was a low, harsh growl, cutting through the quiet with the precision of a blade. I knew better than to answer immediat
Nora P.O.V As soon as I left the conference room, I made my way to the main office to upload the final report into the database. I began to type without noticing how much time had passed. I had hardly eaten before coming here.Just as I was finishing up, the landline on my desk rang, interrupting the quiet hum of the computer. I picked up the receiver, pressing it between my ear and shoulder while continuing to type. After a few clicks I opened another file on the computer to go through the details of a particular case.When I reached the part I was looking for I closed the file and resumed writing again . “This is Detective Stevenson,” I answered, glancing at the clock on the corner of my computer as I spoke. For a moment, there was only silence on the other end. I frowned, repeating, “Hello?” with more insistence, my tone sharpening. Finally, a voice came through, shaky and hesitant. “There... there is a dead... body. I found a... a dead body... buried in the soil. Only... only the
Lily P.O.VI walked out of the college, chatting animatedly with my friend, Emily . The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the campus. We laughed about something silly from class. Students were heading out to the next town for the Friday night party while I had a date night with my couch and television. If my brothers found out I was getting wasted in the parties ,they would lock me in a fort and I am not joking."Alright, I will see you tomorrow," Emily said, waving as she turned to head toward her dorm."See you," I replied, smiling as I watched her walk away.Just as I turned to leave, a black sedan pulled up to the curb right in front of me. The car screeched to a halt. I stepped back,my instincts were screaming at me to run. Before I could make a move, the doors burst open, and several men climbed out wearing black suits and avatar shades.Panic surged through me. I tried to dart away, but one of them grabbed my arm in a vice-like grip. "Let me go!" I screamed,
Nora P.O.V “Doctor Stephen has called you in the lab”. My intercom buzzed with the voice of a new intern from the lab, making me stop typing. I pinched the bridge of my nose and got up. I could feel my headache coming back because of the lack of sleep. From the last two days we have found two other bodies, murdered in similar ways just like the first murder only the locations were different. Their faces were beyond destroyed to be recognised . We have not identified the bodies yet, have gone through the list of people that have gone missing in the last three days but did not come across one description similar to the dead bodies . After turning off my laptop I grabbed my phone and left the floor to go to the other part of the office . I called Lee on the way. “Meet me on the sixth floor”. “I am coming.” I disconnected and headed towards the elevator. I pressed the top button and waited for the elevator to come. A few minutes later the elevator pinged and the doors opened. I nodded
Nora P.O.VThe midday sun beat down on the docks, casting sharp shadows across the rusting cargo containers and the cold, grey water of the harbour. I sat in the driver's seat of the unmarked car, my fingers tapping rhythmically on the steering wheel as I scanned the area. My partner, Lee, sat beside me, focused, his eyes narrowed behind the dark lenses of his aviator glasses.The clock on the dashboard ticked slowly, every second dragging out the uncertainty of what was about to unfold. In the backseat, two other members of our team quietly checked their weapons. Our other team members were in the other cars.We had been staking out this location for days, ever since our intels had confirmed that this was where DiFronzo’s latest shipment was supposed to be arriving.We had been sitting here for hours, waiting, watching.No one will suspect what the are doing if they were using water ways ,so, they are using the boats and ships that were used to import fishes . It was a clever move I hav
Nora P.O.V We parked outside a small, nondescript restaurant, nestled quietly in one of the city’s more secluded neighbourhoods. Its faded exterior and plain sign made it blend seamlessly into the background. The buildings near the diner looked like they were going to fall any minute. They were hardly holding up. This place is a dump. This was where Rob worked before he vanished. “Is this the place?” Lee asked, his gaze lingering on the modest building as he scanned its exterior with his usual alertness. “Yeah, this is it,” I confirmed, shutting off the engine. Together, we stepped out of the car, the cool evening air brushing against us as the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across the narrow street. We made our way to the entrance, and I took a moment to mentally prepare for what we might learn inside. The interior was dimly lit, filled with the quiet ambiance of a restaurant that had not been touched by time, and had seen many tough days. A handful of patrons were scatter
Riccardo P.O.V Dinner with Callandria was a quiet affair. We were both locked in our own thoughts, wrestling with our own minds. When she said she will do it I thought her agreement would satisfy me, yet victory feels hollow and empty. "Here." I slid my phone across the table to her once we had both finished eating. "You should call your grandfather, bella. He wants to know you are safe and that you are here because you want to be." She eyed the phone for a long, silent moment and then reluctantly picks it up. "2008 is the lock code." "The year I was born," she murmured. And the year Nico left the family. "You trust me with your lock code." "I offered you freedom, Callandria. It wasn't a lie," I said ,holding her gaze. "Until things are settled, you are not to leave the house or have contact with your family. Those rules are for your safety as much as for theirs. But I am not your captor. You are not my prisoner. You are going to be the mother of my child." "My grandfather wo
Callandria P.O.V "I am ready," I told Alessio less than a minute later, stepping out of the bedroom. He led me down the hallway. Unlike my father's house, Riccardo's was not built like a museum to wealth. It was timeless and beautiful. Dark wood panels line the walls, with ornately carved banisters and balustrades. Instead of a chandelier, a crystal dome over the staircase floods the foyer with natural light. We passed through the living room, decorated more for comfort than to impress. A large fireplace and sectional dominate the room, with bookcases lining one wall. Massive doors lead out to a patio and a rolling green lawn. "Kitchen," Alessio said, standing to the side to let me pass. I stepped inside and then stopped to stare. The entire kitchen was made from stone, with a cobblestone floor and gorgeous dark wood cabinets. Appliances rest in arched alcoves. Windows look out over the lawn. It was breathtaking, like stepping straight into Tuscany. "Wow," I whispered. No won
Riccardo P.O.V By the time we pulled up by the dock at the harbor, Dant was already there. He leans against the side of his Harley, skipping pebbles across the water. He did not even glance over his shoulder to see who pulled up. I did not think my youngest brother gave a fuck anymore. He tried for years to keep us together, but this way of life wears on you. By the time he had his accident a few years ago, he was not the same kid who spoke the vow. He is harder. Darker. We rarely see him unless he has no choice. I think he would have walked away from all of it if he could. Hell, which of us wouldn't? This life only brought us misery . We lost those we have loved and lived with our enemies. "You are early," I observed, striding across the dock toward him. "You are late." He lets another rock fly. It skipped three times before sinking, dragged to the bottom to rest alongside decades worth of evidence of La Cosa Nostra crimes. Merda. Ours were not the only secrets this harbor keeps
Dant P.O.V“You live here?" Genesis eyed me skeptically, her arms crossed over her chest and her brows furrowed as she glanced around my living room."Yes. Surprised?" I arched a brow, already knowing the answer to that question. Unlike my brothers and sister, I did not live in a house large enough to fit an army. My place was an old greystone in Bridgeport...as fucking far from Robert as I can get without encroaching on territory that did not belong to the DiFronzo family.Once upon a time, the house belonged to my mom's parents. I was not sure any of my brothers knew that. I never told them. Did not see a point when they had lived with our mom's ghost for so long already. Sometimes, ignorance is preferable to pain.Me though? I barely remember her. Not the color of her eyes, or the way she smiled. Not the sound of her laugh, or the warmth of her hugs. I was four and Lily was three when she died, barely old enough to spell out our own goddamn name. Any memories I had of her were eras
Genesis P.O.V"Not yet." His smile did not reach his eyes. I did not think he had smiled in a long time. But they glint with some emotion that makes me shiver. I did not know what it was. "You will.”"Never."His smile widened. "You are coming to work for me." Is he insane? He found me taking out his cash and nowhere wanted me to come and work for him."I have a job.""Not anymore. As of this moment, you work for me, tesoro. Or..." He lets the threat linger unspoken. I know what he meant though. Or he would call the police and we let the chips fall where they may. I think he knew I could not take that risk, though. The bastard knows he was not really giving me a choice here.I think he loves knowing I have no choice and no say. I am his to command, his to control and I hated it but I have no other choice.He was a six-foot-three lion. And I think I may be the little lamb to the slaughter."Fine," I growled, giving in about as gracefully as a bull in a china shop."But I am not for sal
Genesis P.O.VThe elevator glided to a stop on the top floor. The doors slid open, revealing the sort of ostentatious wealth that made my stomach hurt. You know, the kind that could feed half the world, but is spent building glass castles like this for despotic kings instead.The kings who worked from this glass castle are rumored to be some of the worst. They are mafia, Made men. The entire city loses sleep over them and their whims. Yet I never have. When you are trying to survive the devil you know, it was hard to care about the devils you did not.I dragged my bucket off the elevator and set to work emptying the trash. It took all of five minutes to clean up after the reception staff. Two of the executive offices are spotless, as if they were rarely used. The desks held no personal items, nothing to give any hint about the men who worked within.I finished straightening them quickly and moved to the third.A masculine, woodsy scent wafted through the open doors, enveloping me in i
Callandria P.O.V "What do you want from me?" I cried out, my stomach clenching at the look in his eyes, as if he has never been more serious in his life. He meant every word. I might be here for a reason, but he wants me for and that scared me and did not scare me nearly enough at the same time. I expected him to give me the same no-answers he had been giving me, but he did not. He surprised me this time. He gave me the truth. At least, some version of it. "I want you to help me stop a war, Callandria," he said, sitting back in his chair. "Your father started something that may very well destroy us all. I need you to help me stop it." My stomach trembles as the pieces begin to connect in my mind. I did not need him to spell it out for me. I know exactly what he was asking of me. And yet...and yet I wanted to hear him say it anyway. "Tell me," I said. "I want you to give me an heir." He held my gaze, unflinching. "In exchange, you will have your freedom. Whatever marriage con
Callandria P.O.V Everyone has it wrong. Robert DiFronzo was not the devil. Riccardo is. I paced around the luxurious bathroom, muttering under my breath like a crazy person as I made the same circuit across the stone tile. I had already used the bathroom, checked the window, and scoured the shelves for a weapon. There was not anything of use. There was not even a bottle of cologne I could spray in his eyes to blind him. I was in no hurry to return to captivity. I even took a quick shower and stole a toothbrush from beneath the sink to delay the inevitable. My heart still races. Dio. No one has ever spoken to me the way he does or touched me as if I belong to him. It infuriates me and makes my blood run hot at the exact same time. I was so caught up in cursing him out that I didn't hear him approaching. The sharp rapping against the bathroom door made me jump, and my heart thudded against my ribcage, rattling my nerves. "I brought you something to wear," he said. "Would you like
Riccardo P.O.V My phone rings,vibrating across the countertop. I dipped my head under the water to rinse the soap out of it, turn the water off, and stepped from the shower to grab a towel. Steam swirls around me, fogging up the bathroom. "Merda," (Shit) I muttered under my breath when Robert's name flashed across the display. Whatever he has to say, I am almost positive I do not want to hear it, but I swipe to answer anyway. "You have Callandria Castellano chained to your bed?" he growled. "What the fuck are you and Mattia thinking?" "You are the one who decided to deliver a pile of bodies to Emilio Castellano's doorstep," I reminded him. "Mattia could not just leave her there after she spotted them.” "So you chained her to your bed?" he growled, his voice deadly quiet. Robert does not yell. He rarely ever raised his voice. When you are the king, you do not have to shout to be heard. People listen even if you fucking whisper. "God, Riccardo. Think! She is a principessa, not some