Sensing my silent critique, Christian sighs and refocuses on the road. “We have a very short time to claim and consolidate power,” he explains, his voice a bit more clipped now. “I’m sorry, I know this is…difficult. That you’d probably rather not go there just now. But it has to be done.” “Could y
Chaos immediately erupts in the room and I scream in horror, unable to turn away from what I can see over Frankie’s shoulder. The gunshots ring out through the air, almost deafening in the tiny room, but Frankie doesn’t even flinch, simply moving his gun precisely around and barely seeming to take
My jaw drops as I realize that the violence is not over – that it has perhaps just begun. That this is…this is a bloodbath, a war. “Brothers?” Frankie asks, his voice soft, drawing Christian’s gaze over to us. “Kill him,” Christians says, nodding to Frankie once before striding for Nico. “He can
Christian looks up at Nico, who nods. “I can confirm that,” Christian continues, still casual. “If you needed confirmation. But considering that you sent them after my wife, I’m sure that there’s not too much mystery regarding who took them out.” There’s a long pause on the other line as Bonetti p
I nod, eager to have him believe me even if I’m not sure it’s true. “Just…out of my element. As usual.” He smiles at me and then leans forward, pressing a warm kiss to my mouth. I melt into him a little bit, trusting him completely. If Christian says it’s all right…then it will be. He hasn’t been
But as I feel my husband pressed long along the length of my body, I know that there’s only one real choice for me. That the idea of leaving him here, of not knowing whether he lives or dies… God, no. I could never do it. “I want to stay,” I say quietly, my eyes on Frankie. He holds my gaze fo
That even though Christian called this meeting, Bonetti’s the one in charge. Anxious, I glance down at myself, doubting again Nico’s choice in what is essentially workout clothes. God, why didn’t I bring something to change into? But Christian reaches out and subtly takes my hand, wrapping it in
Bonetti actually does go still at this news, perhaps not expecting Christian to put it so bluntly. All around his men tense, and I hear about twenty safety catches flip on guns. But Bonetti puts his hand up, clearly letting them know to keep calm. “So why haven’t you, boy?” Bonetti murmurs. “It wo
A small smile creeps on Leo’s lips. “Yeah, okay,” he says, relaxing back against our chair. “Our secret.” I grin at my baby, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek, because my boy can’t resist a secret.“What’s all this?”I turn to see Christian standing at the open door, peering into the dining
The danger. It’s…it’s far too poignant.My heart breaking, I open a private browsing tab on the web browser and quickly search for Craigslist in both this city and Athens, Greece. As I do my memory goes back to a conversation I had with Frankie, when he told me that this is the best way he knows for
I stand frozen, staring down at the letter as it sits on the little hall desk, my breath coming in fluttery little gasps.The words are very simple.There are vineyards in Greece as well. I’ll take you there.I read it again and again as my heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing with a mix of h
“You don’t know anything about my life,” I whisper, my voice barely audible, turning my eyes back down to the dishes. “I had no choice.”“You think you’re the only one who suffered?” Lucy whispers. “You think I wanted to be in this position? We were friends once, Iris. We were good to each other. Bu
“Mommyyyy,” Leo says, looking anxiously towards the kitchen door, shifting from foot to floor. “Hurry up! Aunt Bianca says we have to go!”I laugh, glancing down at my little boy, who looks so adorable in the private school uniform he wears to Kindergarten – crisp white shirt, navy blazer, his dark
But…was it? Was it me, missing Chris? Wanting to have yet another piece of him, even if I long denied wanting any ties to my past life?I look down, my heart heavy, not truly understanding what I think or what I feel.“I mean it, Iris,” Chris says, his voice steady and cool. “I’ll be a father to her
My heart sinks as I look Christian in the eyes – because beyond all hope, I had been praying that he hadn’t noticed that Leo is his son. But how could I have been so naïve? Leo looks just like him - dark hair, striking grey-blue eyes. The resemblance is unmistakable. I feel a wave of guilt crashing
“Yes,” he answers, a growl in his voice. “That should suit just fine.”I laugh at the irony in this and shake my head, looking away. “So now you want me to come back, to pretend as if nothing ever happened? You expect me to just accept this, the way things are now?”Christian opens his mouth to resp
Disappointment floods my chest, a sense of disbelief washing over me. “You think I would trust you again after everything? After how you treated me? You expect me to just come back and forget?”His eyes narrow, disappointment etched into his features. “You were faithless. I thought you’d be loyal. I