TIFFANY WESTI showed up for my doctor's appointment with Elena a few days later. Maybe I was still hesitant to believe I was pregnant. But I was concerned about the bleeding and what it would mean. And I worried about not being on prenatal vitamins, the occasional glass of alcohol I had been taking, and all the rough sex in between. I had to know for sure if everything was okay.As I sat in the waiting room with Elena, I sent Lorenzo a text, just asking if he was okay. Things in Montenegro were still busy, but apparently, Savio had heard from him. Even Dimitri had taken the time to call Elena, but Lorenzo hadn't been responding to my texts or picking up my calls.I swallowed the lump in my throat, as the text showed he'd seen it, but he didn't respond.A nurse with a friendly smile called my name. I wiped my sweaty palm on my dress, returning Elena's reassuring smile, and then followed the nurse inside.Surprisingly, I was already eleven weeks pregnant and everything looked good on t
LORENZO RUSSOI always thought if I believed in fate, I couldn't believe in choice. I hadn't been much of a believer, but all that changed when Tiffany West entered the picture because there was nothing else that could explain it.The thought of Tiffany and the baby she was expecting never existing without me in the picture wasn't possible. All three were a static pair and I had merely reached into the right pocket at the right time and made them mine.The hard truth was, I had stolen someone else's fate, and I was never giving it back.Tiffany and I had been married for one hundred and twenty-five days. I'd proposed to her again with a ring, a bended knee, and even a nice dinner. She hadn't wanted a big party so we made do with a small wedding in a church. I had the date tattooed on my chest, right next to her name.I'd flown to Paris with Tiffany for the weekend getaway, and regretfully, it was our last night tonight."Last night in France." I lowered my head so my lips grazed hers
(Few Months Earlier)TIFFANY WESTI chose a bar within the heart of New York's most expensive hotel. Royale Haven. Downing down the burning liquor. I didn't even know what I was drinking, I'd told the barman to surprise me when he'd asked. And he'd surprised me. But the soothing burn of the alcohol was barely enough to keep me out of my frenzy. It was barely enough to keep his voice from echoing in my ears and it got worse as I stared at the seven words that blurred my vision from his text message. “Your mum's been calling you. We need to talk. This is important,” Seven words that unraveled me and left a series of violent shivers down my spine.It had been five years. Five fucking years since I'd last seen the pedophile of a shit bag stepfather, Francis Strauss, and my mother, Seline West.I thought I was okay. I thought I'd made peace with the past and finally moved past it. Past him. Past those nights he sneaked into my room and covered my screams with his hand on my lips. But all t
TIFFANY WEST An explosion of fire burst inside of me, spreading from my stomach to the tips of my fingers. My blood sizzled. My body tingled. And I couldn't breathe. The press of my lips against his hit me with great intensity that turned my legs jelly and I lost balance on my legs but the man wrapped an arm around my waist to steady me, pressing me deeper against his body. Air whooshed out of my lungs, my lips breaking from his for a second. We stared at each other. My heart was racing fast and my blood burned hotter. I didn't know what I was doing again. But it wasn't just the buzz from the alcohol making me braver. It was something else. Something stronger. Maybe it was the firm hold of his arm around me. It was no lie large hands had always been my Achilles heel. Maybe it was the heat sizzling in blue flame in his eyes. Maybe it was the darkness lurking within the edges of his eyes that made me believe was capable of drowning mine. I wasn't sure. But I couldn't stop myself.
(Present) TIFFANY WEST Blackness. Inky and stagnant. It dripped into my subconscious. It was often an escape from reality, a comfort in the madness. But this time they whispered to me, telling me not to wake up now, not to wake up ever. Unfortunately, a pulsing ache in my head wakes me up. Feeling like roadkill, I let out a groan as a wake of nausea hit. “Dear God,” I groaned. Throwing the covers, I almost fell out of bed. Even my steps felt loud as I stumbled to the bathroom. Fuck. How much did I drink last night? The ache in my head stopped every attempt to remember how last night ended, all I could remember was Elena and I kept downing shots of alcohol at The Vincenzo wedding. We'd attended here in Las Vegas with her husband, Dimitri. Apparently, Dimitri Castello and Mr Vincenzo were business partners. I wasn't sure to what extent, maybe the latest groom was also a member of the Cosa Nostra, seeing as Dimitri was a New York don himself. But whatever curiosities I had, I did
TIFFANY WEST I didn't even bother getting dressed. I donned one of the robes hanging in the exquisite bathroom, heading straight to my hotel room. I sent Elena a text while I tried recalling what had happened last night, but all I could recall were fragments. And soon, small fragments began to make a whole. I remembered Elena helping me up to my room and into my bed. God knew I wished I had remained there. But not the case. Somehow I found myself at the party going on in the hotel bar. Everything from there remained a blur from the second I met Lorenzo up until the stroke of my ink on the marriage certificate. It was damned obvious I didn't have a gun pointed at my head when I signed my life away. I had always known my bad decision would catch up to me one day. In short minutes, Elena entered the room in nothing more than a pink night dress and jacket like she had just woken up or that was the closest thing she could grab as soon as she saw my text. She raised her brow. “Tiffany wh
TIFFANY WEST I woke up in comfort. The softness of a delicate pillow cradled my cheek and the gentle press of silk sheets brushed my neck.I jerked upright, opening my eyes to an immaculate room brightened by lights, and behind thick, elegant curtains was absolute darkness. I didn't know this place. I've never seen this type of furniture before. Not the polished dark room dresser. Or the carved antique chair in the corner. What was more unnerving than the unfamiliar setting was the realization that I had lost at least a good few hours of the day. It was dark outside and I had been unconscious since morning.I remembered Lorenzo coming into my suite. We were arguing and the next thing I felt was a stinging pain in my neck. That asshole injected me.I threw back the covers, rushing out of the bed, my feet hitting the cold marble tiles.My shoes… I wasn't wearing any but thank fuck my clothes were still intact but someone took my god-damned shoe.Lorenzo.I started to open the door bu
TIFFANY WESTThe mansion was a sprawling estate with several wings, each of which I was told belonged to the Russo brothers— Lorenzo, Savio, Dario— and a guy named Ronan.“I don't see guards anywhere?” I asked as I followed him down the familiar hallways. He threw me an amused quizzical stare. “Already planning your prison break?”“I'm glad you realized this is a prison for me,”He remained silent. “We don't need them. Even Dario is capable of defending himself, and with you, I'll assign someone to follow you around,”“I could run you know,”“Try it,” It was a dare and warning from him.A cold shiver erupted at the base of my spine. “Would you feel good about yourself, catching a girl half your size?” “Yes,” There wasn't an ounce of doubt in his reply.I crossed my arms as we entered the large bedroom I had woken up.“We'll share the same room,“So we'll sleep next to each other. We'll fuck like a happily married couple. And I'll cook and cater to you like a good little wife. Aren't
LORENZO RUSSOI always thought if I believed in fate, I couldn't believe in choice. I hadn't been much of a believer, but all that changed when Tiffany West entered the picture because there was nothing else that could explain it.The thought of Tiffany and the baby she was expecting never existing without me in the picture wasn't possible. All three were a static pair and I had merely reached into the right pocket at the right time and made them mine.The hard truth was, I had stolen someone else's fate, and I was never giving it back.Tiffany and I had been married for one hundred and twenty-five days. I'd proposed to her again with a ring, a bended knee, and even a nice dinner. She hadn't wanted a big party so we made do with a small wedding in a church. I had the date tattooed on my chest, right next to her name.I'd flown to Paris with Tiffany for the weekend getaway, and regretfully, it was our last night tonight."Last night in France." I lowered my head so my lips grazed hers
TIFFANY WESTI showed up for my doctor's appointment with Elena a few days later. Maybe I was still hesitant to believe I was pregnant. But I was concerned about the bleeding and what it would mean. And I worried about not being on prenatal vitamins, the occasional glass of alcohol I had been taking, and all the rough sex in between. I had to know for sure if everything was okay.As I sat in the waiting room with Elena, I sent Lorenzo a text, just asking if he was okay. Things in Montenegro were still busy, but apparently, Savio had heard from him. Even Dimitri had taken the time to call Elena, but Lorenzo hadn't been responding to my texts or picking up my calls.I swallowed the lump in my throat, as the text showed he'd seen it, but he didn't respond.A nurse with a friendly smile called my name. I wiped my sweaty palm on my dress, returning Elena's reassuring smile, and then followed the nurse inside.Surprisingly, I was already eleven weeks pregnant and everything looked good on t
TIFFANY WEST As soon as the line of SUVs halted in front of the Russos mansion, I let out a sigh of relief. I'd never thought the day would come when returning to Vegas felt like returning home.I left the SUV with Dario, Milo, and the other guy, Elio, while Savio, Chloe, Leona, and the two other girls rescued from Montenegro rode in the second SUV. Even after stepping on Vegas soil, Savio hasn't been able to get in contact with those he left behind in Montenegro. It worried me. I didn't know what had happened to Lorenzo. I was almost on the patio when the front door burst open. I stopped in my tracks, sending a quiet glance at Milo. Before I could say anything, Elena rushed out, stepping a few inches away from me. Her brown eyes scanned me thoroughly. I had changed earlier on the jet. I was wearing pants and a shirt, but it did little to hide the bruises on my neck, arms, and face.My eyes watered immediately, not from the pain I was feeling though. I wasn't sure why, but I was an
TIFFANY WESTI woke up on a plush, unfamiliar bed, still dressed in the dress shirt one of Salvatore's men, Ortiz had forced me to wear. My head still pounded as if I had been at a month-long rave, and there was a soft spot that throbbed even harder near my temple.It took a few seconds to blink away the groggy confusion. To remember what happened.I didn't move. I didn't breathe.I took in my surroundings— the expensive furniture, the small space. And something in my brain clicked. Quickly, I scrambled up from the bed, rushing to the curtain covering the small window. I tugged at it, and looking at the window, I froze.Fuck. We were up in the air. Fuck.Fuck.Fuck.Savio had knocked me out back at Salvatore's mansion. And we just left. We'd just left Lorenzo back there. Surrounded by more reinforcement of Salvatore's men.My eyes glistened, and just as I was about to hurry through the small door, it opened and Dario stepped in. His gaze widened in shock and relief as they found me.
TIFFANY WEST I felt something cold slip up my back thighs and into the waistband of my lacy panties, but I didn't look. Instead, my eyes were fixed on his moving lips.My brows lifted the instant I could make out his breathless words, but before an emotion could betray me, Lorenzo shoved me hard to his side, my back hurt hard against the wall, and I crashed to the floor.“Get her out of here Salvatore. I don't have the time or patience for a child's game. This has all been entertaining, but let's be honest here: you don't want Reno or any other thing. That's not why you took my brothers and called me here. Family dinner? Fuck don't be ridiculous, tell me what you truly want?”Silence held the air captive once more, and this time it was shattered by Salvatore's dark laughter. “I’ll take back control of Vegas. If only Harold was alive to witness this moment, he'd known it was foolish going against my order and keeping you bastards alive,”“The only bastard was the useless mutt I sent a
TIFFANY WESTI was a heartbeat away from hysteria. The delirium loomed close, ramping up my pulse as I stared at the old bastard I still couldn't believe was Lorenzo's father. The thick suffocating silence in the air still held Salvatore's threat in place.Tension crackled in every direction as I waited for either Salvatore to take back his threat or Lorenzo to crumble, but neither did. Instead, the two Russos just stared at each other, almost as if they were having a secret conversation through their eyes.All I could do was wait for the spark to ignite the situation into a raging inferno, but the silence stretched into another minute before Lorenzo abruptly pulled up from his chair, silently walking over to the mini bar at the corner to pour himself a drink and then he trekked over the open window, staring into the darkness.“What do you say, son?” Salvatore's voice taunted once more, his eyes shifted to mine. The intense darkness looming within attempted to force me to look away, b
LORENZO RUSSO Trying to keep my rage at bay was a losing battle. I could feel the rage simmering underneath my skin while my gaze slid from Tiffany's bare feet, up her once flawless thighs to the hem of the overbearing white shirt that stopped a few inches above her knees. She wasn't dressed in the body hug top and jeans she'd been wearing in the video.My fist curled into a tight ball of fury. One I knew too well. One that would only be appeased if someone died right now by my hands.“What the fuck happened to her?” My voice remained calm and controlled as usual. I wasn't one prone to raging outbursts. That was Savio. As aloof as he could be, he was also hot-tempered. “Why the fuck is she wearing that?”“Ortiz was just messing around. Don't get too worked up, nothing drastic happened. She's one feisty little cunt,” Salvatore's explanation didn't sink in. Nothing breached my internal battle.I wanted their blood.I craved their pain and everything torturous every second they breathe
LORENZO RUSSO“Two at three o'clock,” Dimitri said, his voice low and quiet as they echoed in my ears.“One at ten,” I heard from Dimitri’s capo, Luca, just as I adjusted the little device in my ears.“Three on the balcony at four,” Ronan's voice seeped in as well. He had joined us after escorting Leona and the two girls he had rescued with Savio into one of our jets, and they were already on the way to Las Vegas.I slanted a glance over at Vito from the passenger seat. The car slowed as we reached the corner of Salvatore's street. He had forwarded an address the second our call disconnected.I took out my phone, sending a quick text to Savio. I was fucking worried, I hadn't heard from him since Ronan and he parted ways. I had no idea what the fuck was happening at his end with Frizz, and the younger Duval. He could be in trouble seeing as he wasn't even picking up or hadn't read my previous texts informing him about Salvatore's sudden appearance and Tiffany's and Dario's situation.“
TIFFANY WESTI sat on one of the chairs in the dining room, cradling my cell in my hand while I stared at the sheer curtains billowing in front of an open glass door leading outside. I could barely see the faint outline of the deck chairs, the beach umbrella, and the corner of the pool. There were Lorenzo's men at every corner, and I honestly doubt anyone could successfully get past the mansion doors even if there was an attack, yet Lorenzo's words kept troubling me.I sighed, glancing at the time. It was almost eight, and the darkness outside made me grow more anxious. Stefano was a significant foot away from me; he was leaning against the wall, staring out into the darkness while Dario had joined the men outside twenty minutes ago, and I couldn't stop thinking about Lorenzo, debating whether I should call Lorenzo or not. I was going crazy with worry, I needed to hear his voice and know he was okay.Finally, I made up my mind to give him a call. But my worry only intensified as I lis