NINE YEARS AGO Englewood, Chicago. Vincenzo ~~~0~~~“It’s normal for a teenage boy undergoing puberty to have sexual urges, but acting on them is demonic and God hates it.” Said the priest.My Mama’s head snapped in my direction, a silent, accusing warning, and I rolled my eyes. She had dragged me all the way down to this place and forced me to sit through mass, but the man’s sermon sounded like the annoying sound of rusty zinc on a windy day back home.I cast Fiorella a flirty look when Mama looked away and she returned it by blowing a kiss in my direction, then a wink that promised me ungodly things. Fiorella was Mama’s friend’s daughter, she was four years older than I was, but we’d been combing the streets of Chicago together since Mama and I moved to this neighborhood and screwing the shit out of each other long before we even understood what the word meant.“The back rooms. I’ll go first,” Fiorella mouthed quietly, a seductive smirk greasing her pretty face.Yeah, she’s tha
Chapter 1PRESENT DAYGold Coast, Chicago•• •• ••Vincenzo Mancini•• •• •• “Isn’t that exactly what psychopaths do?” Marcel snarled. “Make a point outside the frame and confidently present themselves as winners.” I snatched the bottle from him, eyeing him when he tried to keep his grip on it. “You’re not going to have her, and that’s final.” “A little touchy about this one, are we?” Marcel remarked with a sly smirk. I reclined in my seat, “What can I say?” A man might want to enjoy the soft hands of these sexy, naked strippers without the constant bickering of his brother and their, but not a man like me, apparently. As it turns out, women and an endless addiction to sex and the unholy love for all the fucked up things you can imagine in the dark underworld are not the only things I share with my brother. We also share a passionate desire to bite off each other’s throats. Because, where is the fun in agreeing on a simple fact instead of bickering like two-year-olds? Nay, t
Chapter 2 Eustacia “~~~”~~~”Once a feared and revered mafia princess, but now nothing more than a caged animal.This guy, the one they called Aurelio, didn't like me from the minute I was handed to him on that plane coming here, and that was a month ago.Who was I kidding? Nobody likes me.His rough grip on my arm was firm, leaving bruises that would join the collection already marring my skin. Each step as he dragged me through the block made me wince in pain, but I didn't let out a single sound.Aurelio’s face was impassive, but I could see the disgust in his eyes. He probably thought I deserved every bit of this. They all did.“Watch your step,” Aurelio barked as we descended the stairs.I bit my tongue, suppressing the urge to lash out with a smart remark, but it wouldn’t help my situation.I stumbled but caught myself, Vincenzo Mancini was following closely behind at a leisurely pace and I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me fall.We reached the bottom, and he sh
Chapter 3 Stacy °° °° °° °° It didn’t take up to a second for Vincenzo to react, snatching his gun even though the car was running at a speed he could barely control, and with a burst tire, we were likely to roll off a cliff or end up in an anthill—but that didn’t stop him. Without taking his eyes off me, he kept his pistol accurately aimed at my chest, his eyes a silent dare for me to do anything stupid with the rifle. “You’re going to drive us into a fucking ditch if you don’t control this damn piece of junk!” I hissed. “You have a knack for stating the obvious, I see.” Then his voice turned serious, “But around here, you don’t take unless I give, understood?” Something in the way he said that made my ovaries jump in excitement. Fucking idiots, I thought miserably, as if one Mancini wasn’t enough. Another loud bang outside and the little control Vincenzo had over it went flying out the window. It veered straight into the thick bush, making us both bounce uncontrollably in our
Chapter 4Vincenzo°° °° °° °°She has fire, I’d give her that.Most women in her position would have broken down by now, begging for mercy, tears streaming down their faces—maybe even dead by now.But not Stacy Salvatore.No, she was too proud, too defiant to crumble so easily. I mean, when you’ve spent years learning to be wicked and making other people’s lives miserable from your father, you become like him.The way she handled that rifle was almost admirable, if I weren’t so determined to crush that pride of hers when the time came.I led her towards the truck, finding her futile attempts to free herself from my grip almost amusing. She was smart enough to know that fighting me wouldn’t get her anywhere, but that didn’t stop her from trying.There was a wildness in her, a desperate need to prove she wasn’t as helpless as she felt. It was that same wildness that would make her useful, even if it meant keeping her on a short leash until I was ready to use her.“Let go of me,” she sp
Chapter 5Stacy°° °° °° °° I slumped in the damn chair, every muscle in my body screaming in protest. It had been days—weeks, maybe—since I’d had a decent shower or a proper meal. I twisted my wrists, even though I’d done it a thousand times in the last hour, each time with the same fruitless result.I’m fucking tired, too fucking tired.But at least I’m still breathing, that’s a ray of hope there, right?Well, after the gunshot Vincenzo fired in the car, still breathing felt like a twisted miracle. Not even a scratch, maybe his target was bad? But he did kill that guy behind me without blinking.I sighed, I’d missed my only chance to run. That’s how I knew my body was losing this fight.Fuck, I’m so fucking weak!Sitting there, I felt like a piece of shit—dirty, useless. Vincenzo’s cells didn’t allow me the luxury of basic amenities, and my body’s biological functions had practically shut down for the past three months.But right now, judging by the way my stomach cramped and how h
Chapter 6Stacy°° °° °° °°I couldn’t tear my eyes away from it—the sharp blade gleamed ominously in the dim light. The knife was supposed to scare me, with the way his eyes followed my face closely, I could tell he was expecting I’d be shaking like a leaf by now.“I see you like to talk,” he remarked dryly.I squinted my eyes to meet his. “And I see you like to make a dramatic entrance.” I relaxed in the seat, more out of tiredness than defiance. “Actually, I agree with you. Let’s get this hideous meeting over and done with. We could start with you telling me who you are.”The man chuckled, a low, sinister sound. “You don’t need to know who I am,” he said, his voice dripping with malice. “All you need to know is that you’ve pissed off the wrong people.”He stepped closer, the tip of the knife grazing the skin on my arm. I didn’t flinch. The fear was paralyzing, but I couldn’t let it show. “What do you want from me?” I asked coolly. “And quit the performance; I’m not easily scared.”
Chapter 7Stacy°° °° °° °°I woke up with a throbbing headache, the kind that felt like a jackhammer was having a field day inside my skull. Squinting against the brightness of the room, I took in my surroundings, trying to piece together how the hell I ended up here.The bed I was lying on was massive—king-sized, plush, with ridiculously soft sheets that I would have appreciated under different circumstances. The room was elegant, far too flashy compared to the dingy places I’d been in lately. Soft light filtered through the expensive curtains, and everything was tastefully decorated, almost too perfect. For a moment, I wondered if I’d died and somehow ended up in a rich person’s heaven.Or hell. I mean, for the sins I’d committed, I might as well get a five-star suite in hell. Because I sure as hell didn’t remember checking into a five-star hotel anytime recently.I sat up slowly, wincing as the room spun for a second. Rubbing my temples, I tried to recall the events leading up
Chapter 84Stacy ⟻⟼ ✦ ⟻⟼I needed to get out of that seat.Between Vincenzo’s constant micromanaging and the suffocating air in the cabin, my nerves were fried. The discomfort bubbling in my stomach was the perfect excuse.“I need to go to the restroom,” I announced, already unbuckling my seatbelt.Vincenzo shifted beside me, his glare sharp enough to cut glass. “You’re not going anywhere. Sit down.”I shot him a look that screamed try me. “If you want me passing out and drooling all over you, fine, I’ll stay. But otherwise, I need to go.”“That’s a lie. Sit down.” I let out an angry scoff, “Seriously, dude. It’s not like I’m going to jump out of a moving aircraft. I need to pee! My bladder is combusting!” He groaned, dragging a hand over his face. “Fine. Go. But don’t take forever. And don’t touch anything you shouldn’t.”“Yes, capo,” I snapped, brushing past him. I had bigger things to worry about than his perpetual grumpiness. Bigger things like the fact that I could practicall
Chapter 83Stacy’s POV⟻⟼ ✦ ⟻⟼Driving to the airport in the dead of the night was hell enough. But doing it with a bunch of gangsters who’d sooner throw me into a shallow grave than exchange pleasantries was like being hand-delivered to my executioner. The executioner was sitting right beside me, gripping the steering wheel like he wanted to twist my neck instead.Vincenzo insisted on driving. Of course, he did. Control freak. He hadn’t said a word since after the room episode, didn’t even have to tell me to get into the passenger seat after him, all he had to do was glare at me and I was scrambling inside. Thinking about it now, that unconscious reaction from yours truly pissed me off even more. Every once in a while, I’d catch him flexing his fingers, like he was imagining them wrapped around my throat. He could do that later of course, just not in the kind of way that’d give him the long term satisfaction he wanted. Russel and Allesia were in the car ahead of us, cuddling, I b
Chapter 82Stacy ⟻⟼ ✦ ⟻⟼I heard the commotion from inside the room. Vincenzo’s voice was bouncing off the walls, he was furious. Then Marcel’s voice followed, his words were just as biting, matching Vincenzo’s tone, and though I couldn’t make out the details, I heard my name. That was enough to make my chest tighten.“Bring me Stacy.” I heard Vincenzo’s order. My stomach twisted. Had they found out about Elixir?I ran to the hidden corner where I’d tucked the phone Elixir smuggled to me. I retrieved it with trembling hands, fingers fumbling as I tucked it into the lining of my dress. My heart thundered in my ears as several scenarios of the phone falling out in front of Vincenzo played before me, engulfing me with panic. When I heard footsteps approaching, I ran back and took position in front of the door. I wore my best angry girl look and waited.The door swung open, and I braced myself, expecting to see Vito or Luca, maybe even Aurelio, but it wasn’t any of them.It was Vincen
Chapter 81Vincenzo⟻⟼ ✦ ⟻⟼She was fuming, but that served me well. I returned to the sitting room where Vito and Aurelio were waiting once again, their postures stiff. I settled back into the chair, the leather groaning under my weight as I poured myself another glass of whiskey. The warmth slid down my throat, but it did nothing to calm the fire burning through me.My mind stayed in that room upstairs, where Stacy was no doubt pacing like a caged animal, spitting curses that couldn’t touch me. The memory of her glare—sharp enough to flay a man alive—made the corner of my mouth twitch.She wanted to act bold, sauntering around half-dressed like she owned the place. By the time I was done with her, she’d understand that I owned her.Aurelio cleared his throat, snapping me back to the moment. He and Vito sat across from me, the look on their faces confirming that something was very wrong, but they didn’t seem to know how to put it into words. Aurelio’s elbows rested on his knees, hi
Chapter 80Stacy⟻⟼ ✦ ⟻⟼Vincenzo was very mad at me, again. He let Luca drive Allesia, let Vito ride with them, but he insisted I ride with him, and worse, sit in the passenger seat. The disapproving look of anger, disappointment and maybe hatred he constantly gave me was practically a living, breathing thing. He didn’t say a word to me since we left the mall, even through the ride, his brooding silence and the occasional suspicious looks he gave me were as loud as any argument. Not that I cared.Okay, I cared a little.Fine—a lot.But I wasn’t about to let him know that.If Vincenzo suspected I had something up my sleeve—and knowing him, he already did—he wouldn’t rest until he tore apart every thread of my lies. God help me if he demanded the security footage from the mall. If he saw even a glimpse of my meeting with Elixir, it would be over. Not just for me, but for everything I’d been working toward.The man didn’t trust me as far as he could throw me—well, not without a plan
Chapter 79 Stacy ⟻⟼ ✦ ⟻⟼ I’ve had near death encounters in the past, today felt like the worst. The mirror bit into my back, cold and unforgiving, but it was nothing compared to the heat of his body pressed against mine. His hand was tangled in my hair, the sharp pull forcing my head back until my eyes met his in the reflection. “Look at yourself,” Vincenzo growled, his voice low and edged with something primal. “See what you do to me.” His eyes burned into mine, dark and unrelenting, and I hated the way he knew just how that made me feel, my breaths coming quick and shallow. I tried to push against him, to claw back even an inch of control, but his grip tightened, and I froze as the sting shot through my scalp. “Fighting me again?” His smirk twisted cruelly, his other hand sliding up my thigh, dragging the hem of my dress higher. “You don’t learn, do you,? Maybe that’s why I enjoy this so damn much.” I hated him. Hated how he could strip me bare, even when I was fully clothed
Chapter 78Vincenzo⟻⟼ ✦ ⟻⟼I hate being played for a fool. The phone nearly slipped from my hand, but I tightened my grip, my body freezing before it erupted with raw fury. “Jesus, Vito,” I dragged a hand down my face, “A fucking mall! She could be anywhere, for fucks sake, she could be halfway across the country by now!” Vito stammered on the other end, his fear palpable even through the static. “She… she slipped away, boss. One minute she was in front of me, and the next—gone.”My blood ran cold, then boiled just as fast. “And you’re telling me this so I can call for you? How long has she been missing?”There was a pause, heavy with hesitation. “About thirty minutes, maybe less. We thought she—”I cut him off, my patience gone. “You thought? You thought wrong, Vito. I don’t pay you to think—I pay you to act. If she isn’t found in the next ten minutes, you’d better hope you disappear too.” Before he could say something else, I added, “Have that fucking mall locked down until I ge
Chapter 77Vincenzo⟻⟼ ✦ ⟻⟼The scent of saltwater and diesel hit me first—a deeply unpleasant reminder that I wasn’t in bed where I belonged. Instead, I was standing on the docks at an ungodly hour. Well, maybe not so ungodly if I were following Russel’s logic, but still.The cold wind sliced through my coat and bit at my neck, making me curse every life choice that had led me here.Declan had picked this fucking spot well. Neutral territory, or so he thought. A place where neither side had the upper hand, but I couldn’t care less. Neutrality meant nothing when my brothers and I didn’t play by the same rules as the Irish.Russel walked ahead of me, his posture tense but calm, the perfect diplomat. I knew he’d been rehearsing his speech for hours, carefully piecing together whatever excuses he thought would smooth things over after my little… mishap with Dante’s cargo.Too bad I had no intention of apologizing.“You’re late,” a gravelly voice greeted us as we stepped onto the dock. Th
Chapter 76Stacy ⟻⟼ ✦ ⟻⟼By the time we left the boutique, Vito and Luca had to make three trips to the car with bags full of clothes, shoes, baby stuff and accessories.“Now that we’ve got the essentials,” Allesia said with an exaggerated stretch, “let’s go to the mall. It’s a perfect time to really stock up, that house has everything but food in it.” Vito’s hands gripped the steering wheel even tighter, but there was no escaping it. He barely muttered a response, only the occasional grunt of resignation. Luca, ever the silent observer, let his body language do the talking. He looked tense, but that wasn’t going to stop Allesia.We drove for another mile, the city sprawling out in front of us. And then—bam—there it was. A giant billboard plastered with a photo of none other than Allesia Mancini herself.“Ahhh!” Allesia squealed. “That’s me! That’s me! Oh my God, I look amazing!” She was practically vibrating with excitement, and I couldn’t suppress my eye roll. The sound of her voi