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CHAPTER THIRTY SEVEN (ELI'S POV)
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2025-04-05 08:00:32Warmth. That was the first thing I felt.
Not the sharp, searing kind but the deep, bone-melting, comforting kind—the kind that made my limbs feel like they weighed nothing, the kind that made my body float somewhere between exhaustion and bliss. I sighed softly, my eyes still closed, feeling the weight of them against me. Matteo was behind me, his arm draped over my waist, his chest a solid, warm body pressed against my back. Luca was in front of me, his hand resting lazily over my thigh, his fingers tracing faint, soothing patterns against my skin. Safe. I felt safe. It was ironic, really. These two men—dangerous, ruthless, untouchable—were the only ones who had ever made me feel this way. A gentle touch brushed against my hair. “You awake, pretty boy?” Matteo’s voice. Softer than usual.<
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We arrived at a mansion. The mansion stood before us, a grand epitome of dark luxury. It has tall towering gates that gleamed under the streetlights. The room bars had a series of intricate designs and at the top it had razor sharp spikes that could impale a person. It was a silent warning to anyone who didn't belong here. It has an equally tall fence that surrounded the property and stretched far beyond the eye could see. The entire place was reinforced and impenetrable. There were guards at every turn, they all stood like statues— silent, armed and watching. The driveway leading to the mansion was paved with black marble that was polished to the extent that it reflected the night sky. Whoever lived here was no small man— or woman. Luca drove past a row of luxurious cars— Rolls Royces, Lamborghini, Aston Martins, limousines— all screaming with wealth, power and danger. I swallowed hard.
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I swallowed, keeping my expression neutral. Matteo, walking beside me, leaned in, his voice a silken whisper against my ear. “This is where the real power lies, pretty boy.” His smirk was sharp, his tone amused. “Do you like what you see?” I didn’t answer. Couldn’t. Because as we walked deeper into the mansion, the debauchery unfolded before me like a scene from a forbidden novel. A woman knelt before a man, her lips parted as he gripped her hair, guiding her head in slow, practiced movements. Another couple was sprawled across a velvet chaise lounge, oblivious to the people around them as hands roamed and mouths devoured. Chains rattled from one corner of the room, a sharp contrast to the laughter and murmured conversations happening around it. My breath hitched. Matteo must have noticed. He chuckled, his fingers grazing the small of my back. “Caught your attention, didn'
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He looked at me from head to toe, slowly and calculating. As if he wanted to devour me. Luca shifted closer to me, subtly yet protectively. Matteo’s fingers flexed as if itching to reach for a weapon. The tension between them and Ricci was thick enough to snap. “Luca. Matteo.” Ricci’s voice was smooth, confident, with an undertone of something that sent a chill crawling down my spine. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Luca’s expression remained unreadable, but there was a storm brewing in his midnight eyes. “A ghost would be a kinder sight.” Ricci chuckled, unbothered. He turned his gaze back to me, and this time, he didn’t hide his amusement. “And who’s this?” No one answered. My throat was too dry to speak, and the weight of Luca and Matteo’s silence made it clear that they didn’t want me involved. But that only made Ricci’s smirk widen. “Ah,” he hummed, stepping closer, “a secret, t
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"Che cazzo era quello?!" Luca yelled, his voice sounding like thunder in the silent house. I flinched, my heart stuttered as his furious gaze burned into me. "What the fuck was that, Eli?" I opened my mouth to ask what he meant, but he wasn’t finished. He was already storming toward me, his fury a wildfire set loose. "Looking at Ricci like that—like a fucking whore starving for cock. Are you out of your goddamn mind?!" His voice echoed off the walls. I kept quiet. “Did you enjoy the show, slut?” he sneered. “Did you like staring at him while he had his dick down someone’s throat? Hm? Couldn’t take your eyes off him, could you?” I froze, my chest tightening painfully at his words. His words hit like whiplash. I flinched, trying to step back, but he was relentless, cornering me against the wall. “I—” “Shut
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The past few days have been hell. Not the kind of hell I was used to—the one with blood, power, and the weight of my empire pressing on my shoulders. No, this was something else entirely. This was a slow-burning, gut-wrenching torment that had nothing to do with my business and had everything to do with the man I left locked up in the basement. Eli. His name echoed in my head, clawing at the corners of my mind, refusing to let me rest. No matter what I did—drowning myself in work, in anger, in silence and in alcohol—he was always there. The memory of his wide, confused eyes. The way he flinched when I raised my voice. The raw betrayal etched on his face when I threw him into that cold, dark cell. I fucked up. I knew it the moment the door slammed shut behind me. But I had been too far gone, I was too blinded by jealousy and fury to stop myself. Every second that passed since then only solidified one
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I barely registered my own feet moving as Matteo and I carried Eli’s lifeless body out of the basement. He felt weightless in my arms, his body unnervingly cold, his skin ashen, lips tinted blue. My heart was dying in my chest, squeezing tighter with every second that passed. Matteo’s grip on Eli was almost too tight, his knuckles were white as he supported Eli’s legs, his own face was filled with pure horror. “Luca, he’s barely breathing,” he choked out. “Fucking hell, what have we done?” I didn’t answer—I couldn’t. My mouth parted but no words came. My mind was filled with so much emotions like that of self-hatred, guilt, and fear. I had done this. My rage. My fucking insecurities. My need for control. I had locked him down there like an animal, left him alone in the dark. I thought I was proving a point. Instead, I had nearly killed him. We stormed into the living room, laying him on the couch. Matteo i
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The first few days were hell. We moved him to his room and set it up as an in-home hospital where the doctor came to check up on him everyday. Everyday, I would go there and stare at him with a guy wrenching feeling in me as I hoped for him to wake up whilst whispering my apologies. Matteo was distant from me but he made sure to check up on Eli. Even my men saw the difference in us. They were normally careful around us but now, it was as if they walked around eggshells as even the slightest mistake could get you a bullet in-between your eyebrows. Days turned to a week, a week turned to two and then three and finally, he was awake. **** I had never been a man who regretted things. I made my choices, carved my path, and let the consequences fall wherever they wanted to.But now, sitting at the edge of the bed, staring at the fragile bod
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That evening, we took Eli to a quiet, upscale seafood restaurant. He didn’t protest. He never did. He moved like a puppet, letting us lead him through the doors, letting us pull out his chair, letting us control everything because he didn’t seem to care. I could tell that Luca didn't like the fact that he was outside. The restaurant was warm, filled with the scent of butter, garlic, and freshly grilled seafood. The low hum of conversation surrounded us, but it felt distant, like white noise, overshadowed by the tension that had been lingering between us for days. Eli sat across from me, staring at his plate with that same blank expression he’d worn since he woke up. It was driving me insane—this silence, this emptiness in his eyes. It was like looking at a ghost. A version of him existed, but Eli—the real Eli—was somewher
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Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SEVENTY FIVE (ELI'S POV)
I woke up the next morning to the smell of something familiar.Bacon.And not just any kind, it was the thick-cut kind Luca always insisted on ordering from that small butcher outside Brooklyn. I didn’t move at first, just laid in bed and let the scent drift around me, half-convinced it was a dream. But then came the sizzle of eggs and the faint clang of a pan being moved around from downstairs. My eyes opened.It wasn’t a dream.I got up, showered quickly, and threw on a black T-shirt and joggers. The silence in the hallways was different this morning—lighter. I didn’t trust it.When I walked into the kitchen, I froze.Luca stood at the stove, sleeves rolled up, brow slightly furrowed as he flipped pancakes like it was the most natural thing in the world. Like he hadn't thrown me into a dungeon not long ago. Like we hadn’t broken each other in every possible way.He turned when he hear
Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SEVENTY FOUR (ELI'S POV)
The halls were just as cold as I remembered.The same marble floors, same glass walls, same suffocating silence. It had been three days since we had landed in New York and walked back through the dark gates of the Rossi estate, and not one of them had spoken to me.Not really, at least.Just a few words here and there—“you’re free to go wherever,” “meals are at seven,” “the guest room’s ready.” All formal. Detached.Matteo’s eyes had flickered toward me a couple of times when he thought I wasn’t looking. Luca had kept his distance entirely by burying himself in meetings, calls, whatever power play he had been running behind the scenes. If I didn't know them as well as I did, I would have said that they were avoiding me out of shame but I knew better.They were watching.Waiting.For what, I didn’t know.I had spent most of the days wandering around the house like a ghost.
Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SEVENTY THREE (RICCI'S POV)
The sun was beginning to dip below the valley when I returned to the villa, the warm golden rays bathed the villa making it even more breathtaking.The issue has turned out to be a minor one but took over a day to resolve and I was more than happy to be home and soon to be in Eli's arms.It was quiet— the type of peace and quiet that I usually craved and cherished after all the blood, movie and chaos but today, something felt different.It was too quiet.Off.Too still.As I stepped into the grand entryway, I called out. “Eli?”Nothing.My pulse kicks up.“Eli?” I say again, louder now.Still nothing.Where’s Eli? I wondered.Pulling off my gloves, I walked into the living room but there was still no sign of Eli. The bedroom? Empty. Bathroom — untouched. The sheets were still rumpled from the previous morning, the pil
Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SEVENTY TWO (ELI'S POV)
The car ride was silent.Only the faint hum of the engine and the crunch of gravel under big, thick tires outside broke the silence between us as they sped down the back roads leading us further away from the railway.I turned to look at the man next to me. Nathan. They had brought him into the car shortly after me, he would be treated and then sent back to America.This made me wonder where they were taking me to.Nathan lay beside me in the backseat, unconscious again, his breathing shallow but steady. The seat beneath him was stained with blood. I’d pressed my jacket against his side, trying to soak up the worst of it.Matteo was up in front, in the passenger seat with a phone to his ear, barking orders rapidly in Italian.Luca sat opposite me, legs crossed, his hand absently adjusting the cuffs of his coat like this was any other day. Like we weren’t running from a crime scene. Like they weren’t
Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SEVENTY ONE (ELI'S POV)
I kept my face calm, even as my mind ran through every possible way to escape. Every breath I took felt like I was inhaling poison—thick with tension and with fear I’d buried but never truly outrun.“I’m not yours,” I said quietly, jaw clenched. “I never was.”Matteo’s smile faded just slightly, the flicker of irritation showing like a crack in stone. “Then why are you here, Elias?”I didn’t answer.Instead, I looked past him. My eyes scanning the shadows behind the platform, the corners of the station, the windows above—anything. Nathan had to be nearby. They don't want me to see him yet. They wanted me to feel the consequences of disobedience.Luca circled me slowly now, like a wolf circling around the prey to be its next meal. “You always had that fire,” he murmured. “Even when we broke you in.”“You tried to break me.”“Hmm. We did more than try.” He leaned in close to my ear. “But
Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SEVENTY (ELI'S POV)
The old railway station looked like the bones of some long-dead giant. Its frame creaked under the slightest weight as it was worn out and old, the iron rails were rusted and bent like fractured limbs. Fog clung to the ground making it more eerie than it already was, they moved around my boots like fingers trying to drag me back.Still, I walked forward.The cab had pulled away minutes ago, its headlight growing dimer until it finally disappeared into the night. I was alone now—no backup, no comms, no tracker. I didn’t even know how long I had been walking. Every step I took sounded too loud as it echoed through the quiet night. My heart thumped against my ribs like it was trying to escape.I scanned the dark.Every instinct screaming at me that it was a trap.And it was. No doubt. But it was a trap I chose to walk into.I walked around the outer wall, sticking to the shadows, eyes sharply scanning
Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SIXTY NINE (ELI'S POV)
The phone buzzed again.My eyes hadn’t left the photo of Nathan Cole, bloodied and broken, tied to a chair like some animal that had been hunted and caught. His body language said everything—he was near the end of his rope. My throat tightened as I tapped the new message."If you want him to survive the night, come to this location."Another message sent a pin on a map. Rome. An abandoned rail station on the city’s outskirts.It felt like ice begin to flood through my veins.I stared at it, heart pounding so loud it echoed in my ears.They were really doing this. Luca and Matteo had him. And they were playing their sick, twisted game again.I rubbed my face, trying to breathe. Think.Nathan wasn’t just an agent. He was the only reason I’d ever made it out alive. When I was still Elias Carter, drowning under cover so deep I couldn’t remember who I was, he pulled me out. He
Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SIXTY EIGHT (ELI'S POV)
The moment the terrace door flew open and Ricci’s man stepped through, everything changed.I could feel it like a sudden drop in temperature. A stillness that wasn’t peaceful anymore—but charged, like lightning had just struck a tree. The man looked like he’d run through hell barefoot—sweat dripped down his temple, he was breathing hard, his eyes were wild and a little bit haunted.He didn’t speak in English. The words tumbled out in fast, clipped Italian—coded, urgent.I recognized a few word from the conversations Ricci had trained me to understand over the weeks, but this wasn’t the usual “check the perimeter” or “bring the car around.” No, this was something else. Something serious.Ricci froze for just a second.Then everything about him changed.He grabbed his phone and his shirt in one swift motion, muscles instantly becoming taunt beneath his skin, his face shifting into that unreadable expre
Bound by blood and lies CHAPTER SIXTY SEVEN (RICCI'S POV)
The night was unusually still.Even the crickets had gone quiet. The wind barely moved the olive tree branches. The stars looked close enough to touch, glittering over the coastal hills of Tuscany, bathing the villa’s terrace in pale silver light. It was like the whole world had paused—just for us.Eli was curled beside me on the wide terrace lounge, his head resting on my shoulder,a light cotton blanket draped across our legs. The stars stretched endlessly above us, brighter and than I’d ever seen them back in the city, it was beautiful. We were both barefoot, an empty bottle of wine resting near our feet.He smelled like sun kissed skin and saltwater. My hand lazily traced the curve of his arm, stopping occasionally just to feel him—solid, real, breathing. His fingers played lazily with the edge of my shirt. The skin-to-skin contact should’ve felt ordinary by now—but it never did. Not with him.We’d spent the day wrapped in a slow kind of bliss
