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2024-10-29 21:31:53
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DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 15
LILIANA The kitchen door opens and a lady walks in with a drenched raincoat around her shoulders. Her light auburn hair looks to be claw-clipped behind but the tendrils cling to her forehead like a wet rag. She looks to be about my age if not younger. “You said you would only take… Why, you sneaky man! You came in here for a cup of sbiten without telling me?” She slaps his arm lightly. The man turns a warm smile as he dodges her playful hits. “No, bebe. I had an impromptu visitor.” He motions to me with a gentle wave of his hand. She follows his gesture with her eyes till she stops at where I stand. My fingers clench in a fist by my sides at the awkwardness that takes over. Her eyes trace the bulky coat on my small frame and she looks back to the man with her hazel eyes narrowed down in skepticism. He shakes his head. “Ne delay etogo. YA nashel yeye na obochine, kogda vernulsya za bortovym zhurnalom.” His eyes meet mine for a fleeting moment before his voice drops lower. “Ona
Last Updated : 2024-10-31DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 16
LILIANA“Goodnight, ladies.” The man tells us the moment we step into the hallway with several doors. Before I can turn and bid him the same, he disappears into one of the rooms. Rachel shrugs as she clasps a hand on my shoulder. “He had a rough day at the diner. When he comes home beaten up, sleep is his therapy.”I nod in understanding. “Days like that.”“You're welcome to stay the night here. I'm afraid the room is a bit bare but we'll make do. We didn't expect the pleasure of your company.” Rachel says as she rummages through her purse for something. “It's fine. I'll manage.” I try to reassure her but she's occupied with struggling with her purse. She sports a comic frown.“Where's the stupid key?” She hisses. Her features brighten and she raises the key with a triumphant harrumph.The door clicks open to reveal a decent-looking bedroom. Honestly, it isn't so much but it is a feasible option than to spend the night on the streets. “You've done so much for me already. Thank you
Last Updated : 2024-11-01DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 17
DAMIANShe is right there in the darkness when I close my eyes, crying, waiting on me in that silk nightdress. What was a head full of curls is now matted with grease and decline.Like the previous, I dash into our bedroom and skid to a halt when she turns away from the window. The stream of moonlight casts a deathly glow on her pale skin marred by self-inflicted bruises.She takes measured steps towards me, muttering her discomfort about having to wait for hours to see me.I apologize as I always do. The meeting with the Seemya usually takes a lot of time so there's not much I can do about it. She goes again on another bout of blame on why I always meet her at the wrong time. She has said this many times in the past whenever I’m a few minutes behind time. What makes it different this time is her hand held up to half my apologies. She doesn't want to hear it.“Come, Stellëza.” I croon to her with arms spread out and waiting. Her face contorts in disgust as she drinks in the positi
Last Updated : 2024-11-02DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 18
LILIANAA sudden crash has me jolting awake and out of the bed in one single motion. Instinctively, I reach for the dresser to grab something, anything at all to brace myself with. Each drawer comes empty and my heart plummets a thousand feet underground. I'm truly fucked.My eyes scan the room for something solid that I can use for self-defense. I discover to my dismay that there is none.“Who's there?” The question is my last resort. I try to keep my voice steady even though my emotions are quite the opposite within.No response.Another crash echoes through the hallway, causing me to jump in fright, my heart doing wild palpitations.A sharp curse from a muffled voice follows shortly after. My heart leaps into the hollow space in my throat, constricting my airways.I can't help the realization that slams into me without brakes: they're back for me.I knew it!I knew I shouldn't have disregarded the tiny voice of reason within me that spoke against following them. It might have been
Last Updated : 2024-11-03DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 19
DAMIAN Like I predicted, with the tension brewing in the room, the meeting is bound to end in chaos. There's a round table with each family representative seated a good distance away from the other person. Anything could go wrong at any fucking time and anyone by my side would take the hit. Right now, I'm seated in silence watching Genovese of the Morani family and Sergei of the Romanov family snap at each other's heads. There is the Bonanno family counselor, Karmen, who is fighting tooth and nail to ensure that they don't get themselves killed before she leaves. It's amusing to watch especially since Genovese gets off on gaslighting and being a shitty pretender. “Say that to my face one more time, I dare you!” Genovese booms out with veins sprouting from the middle of his head. His bulky stomach swinging every which way and heaving with every breath. “You're nothing but a wimp hiding behind sneaky attacks and the government officers who suck your limp cock.” That i
Last Updated : 2024-11-04DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 20
LILIANA The smile slides off my face as I register the unfamiliar voice filling the receiver. I stutter dumbly, contemplating for a moment if to end the call and take the money that Rachel offered. I brace myself instead with my fingers tightening around the phone. “Theodore Mikhail. I need to speak with him.” “You don't go around taking calls without my permission. Get out of my chair.” I hear someone say. There's a soft shuffle in the background before I hear throat clearing. “Ravasi’s enterprise, Theodore Mikhail speaking. Who am I—” Now that's the voice I was hoping to hear. Who then was the other person on the line? I refuse to give it another thought. “Thank God, Theo!” I cry out in a hushed whisper. My next words tumble out in a rush. “I was drugged and abducted to someplace I have no idea about. The man who took me is a very dangerous man. According to people, his name is Damian Kastorov and my life is going to be over if you don't come and pick me soon.” My h
Last Updated : 2024-11-05DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 21
DAMIANThe drive to my villa takes only a few minutes between winding roads and a little traffic that keeps me holed in a spot for a few minutes because of an accident that had happened in front.Sydney and I barely exchanged any words since I entered the car and got behind the wheel. It's not that I don't share information with him but some things are better discussed deeply encased in the hard shells of privacy. A figure waits up front with their legs a few inches apart in a domineering stance and hands planted into their front pocket. It is Zoran. His face is an inscrutable mask as he waits patiently on the open roof of the mansion. If my time with him is anything to go by, he is hella pissed. But do I have fucks to give? Barely.Sydney and I make our way through the steps that lead to where he is. With every step I take, I get more and more enraged, bidding my time like a ticking bomb waiting for a trigger.His back is turned to us when we finally reach the top. He turns to us
Last Updated : 2024-11-06DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 22
DAMIAN “What the fuck?!” I thunder, my self-control slipping out of my grip. Zoran watches me with a look of indifference, like a detached audience assessing the performance of a stranger. “Why had no one bothered to tell me about this?” “I got the information right after we got news of the attack at your safehouse. I thought you knew and that's why you were going after his widow instead.” My blood boils with a rage so intense that I see red. My chest heaves in tandem with the ticking inside of my head. ‘That… that worthless parasite!’ “Bloody cowards!” I shout, slamming my fists on the table. “I'm going to make her pay for everything.” “What do you want to do about her? I doubt the woman knows anything about the skeletons her husband hides in his closet.” “I don't care.” I reply in a low voice, my gaze pinned on the table. Every muscle in me yearns to flip the district inside out and find her, then make her pay. That treacherous, deceitful bitch. No way in he
Last Updated : 2024-11-07
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DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 91
DAMIANA week later, I call for a meeting between my closest men in my office.The place smells like cigar smoke and rich leather. The air also is thick with the low murmur of conversation. Zoran talks about his latest security expansions, high-end contracts of which most are surprisingly legal this time but he never turns down a favor for the right price. Andros leans back in his seat, nodding along but mostly listening. Sydney hangs around my left with his arms folded, occasionally offering a word or two when necessary.I take a sip of my whiskey, letting the amber liquid burn slowly down my throat. “The real estate projects in Bogota are progressing well. The columbian families are using the resorts exactly how we expected, you know, keeping their assets clean, moving money in and out without suspicion.”Andros smirks. “Bet they love the extra security too.”“They do,” I agree, setting my glass down. “And it benefits us. A win-win.”Sydney scoffs lightly. “Until the wrong person f
DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 90
ANOTHER CHARACTER POV ALERT!SICILYThe garage smells of oil, metal and hardwork as is required of a car factory like mine. My men, the ones closest to me, move around like a well-oiled machine to check the compartments, tighten the bolts and seal the hidden spaces where the firearms rest. This is our craft. Our business and survival. My focus is soon interrupted by my phone ringing. When I pull it out of my pocket, the name that reflects makes me grin. I flip Oleg the bird when he starts to make noises like a monkey. “Hi, munchkins,” Zip drawls, dragging her nickname for me longer than necessary.“Hey, baby.”“You sound tired,” she says immediately. Trust her to be observant when it comes to me. “Long day?”“You could say that. How’s yours?”“Better now that I’m talking to you.” She teases with a light laugh. “I went shopping today. Got a few bags, an antique rug for my condo and oh, those whiskey glasses to replace the ones you kept complaining about.”I huff a laugh. “You mean t
DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 89
LILIANAAlthough Zoran is smiling at his wife, he looks like he’s been through a tough time. The exhaustion lining his features says enough. “Liliana, how are you feeling?”“I’m alright,” I tell him honestly. “Just need a few more days and I’ll be back on my feet. Don’t worry about me.”Selena claps her hands together. “And then you two will work on coming together to make me an aunt. I need a little running around the house and going on a destructive spree.”Damian’s head snaps toward her so fast I can almost hear the crack. “Get out.”Zoran lets out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head like he can’t believe his wife. “Let’s just go home.”She snickers at him, sliding off the bed. “What? Too soon? Nobody says they have to start going at it like rabbits right away.”“Out. Go with your husband,” he orders, already pinching the bridge of his nose. Zoran barely holds in a laugh as he takes her hand, leading her towards the door. “Come on, troublemaker.”Her eyes meet me, rounding in di
DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 88
LILIANAI feel a lot of things as Selena sits with me and sympathizes for the loss of my baby. If I were to be speaking in all honesty, I doubt I’d be able to give that child what they need.Hell, I barely have control of my life, which makes raising a child the least of things I want. “If I didn’t get a lot of love growing up, what makes you think I’ll be capable of showering them with motherly attention?” Selena lets my words stew before she gives a helpless shrug. “Am I going to be called an asshole for supporting your decisons?”I smile and give her fingers a little squeeze. “You’ll be one if you’re not in support. Kyle betrayed me and I don’t think it’s something I’ll forget in a long time.”Selena turns her head and I look in the direction she turned to see Damian strolling in with a neutral expression. Instantly, my heart rate speeds up and my fingers tremble slightly. He stops by the foot of the bed, his eyes gentle as he watches me. I don’t know what to make of that look.
DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 87
DAMIANI gently lower the organs into the cooler after securing it into a zip lock with great care not to cause damage to them. Sicily and his men had found some people sniffing around the dock and brought them to me. To distract myself, I decided to do the dirty work myself, easing into the calmness it brings. Andros walks in without bothering to knock and I can tell from the haste in his steps that whatever has pushed him to forget rules is bigger than he can handle. “It’s the note found on the maid that died last night.” he passes the folded paper over the dead body on the slab.The letter begins with so much apology, thanking me for my good deeds—which is laughable because I don’t do anything unless it benefits me directly—and how it hurts to betray the Seemya this way. A bunch of other nonsense I lose interest in until my eyes catch Selena’s name. “WHAT?!” I bark out, enraged. “What is it?” Andros asks but I’m already on my feet. He grabs the discarded paper and his eyes go r
DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 86
LILIANAThe next time I’m conscious, I hear the angry voice of a man threatening to raise hell on someone. I don’t know how long I’ve been out but I do know that I crave complete silence to clear this buzzing in my head.That is until fragments of the conversation floats over to my hearing. “...the hell is that even possible? How could you make such a costly mistake?”“I swear, it was an oversight, Pakhan. Nothing intentionally done.”“Quietly now,” someone hushes the person. It sounds like Alice. She steps up to my side and cradles one of my hands in her very warm ones. “She’s stirring awake.” The voices stop talking at once. That’s when I open my eyes to blinding lights and a pair of mismatched eyes staring down at me with deep concern etched between those brows. He looks like he’d spent the last few minutes getting upset over something. Looking over my head at someone, the anger is back in its place. “Tell her what you told me.”Imagine waking up to shit you have no idea about an
DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 85
LILIANA"Liliana…"The voices are all distorted as my vision swims and all the blood rushes to my ears. A hand snakes around my waist to keep me on my feet and then it hits me…I'm going to die. Memories fly around in my head, each a reminder of that time when I was starving and mother refused to feed me because my father had been out for days. Then I ate the only thing I could find stacked amongst Lajla’s belongings: A small scoop from a jar of peanut butter. If it weren't for my sister's timely arrival, I probably might have not witnessed her bailing out on me when I needed her the most.My life's history starts to flash before me and I know without a doubt what it signifies. “Radi boga, don't just stand there. Do something!” Someone yells. Panicked feet resound from everywhere in the room all at once, the voice of Irina panicking as she shrieks, “What's wrong with her?!”The tingling in the back of my throat and the roof of my mouth starts to spread again, prickling my tongue
DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 84
LILIANAIt's with tasteless buds that I wake up this morning. My head feels like someone had thrown a party in it throughout the night. My body for some reason won't obey to instructions. One nostril is blocked like traffic on a Monday morning, while the other is a smooth ride to fun town. I hate the day already. After what feels like hours of willing my eyes to open, they pop open of their own accord and I scan the bedroom. Irina is nowhere to be found. “How can such a little girl be up so early while I stay here and sloth away like a snail?” I murmur, rolling until I'm laying on my stomach with my face buried into the pillow. The door opens. “Very gently, Duska.” Alice says to someone in a gentle voice. I'm too tired to look but when I do, I'm immediately thrown off by the smell of the eggs. “Good morning, Alice.” I tell her groggily.“Oh my goodness!” She gasps horrified. “You look terrible. What happened to you?” “I don't know. A truck ran me over last night?” I reply wit
DARKNESS IGNITES DESIRES 83
DAMIANWhat should serve as comfort, brings me none. I'm tossing and turning in my bed, sighing, willing this anger swirling in my chest to disappear.I don't know how long it's been but Liliana's earlier rejection burns vivid in my mind. Running a hand through my hair, I begin to pace my bedroom. Sleep won't come, and I think I know why. Liliana rejected me. Not in an emotional outburst, nor with hesitation. Just a simple, uninterested dismissal, like one would a schoolboy who didn't matter. The last time anyone made me feel like this was with Stellëza. It's pissing me off. No one has ever turned me down like that before. Call me egoistic but it's not just my pride that took the hit—there’s something else I can't shake. And then, there is her damn request. The one that ruined the night. She wants me to send her home. She is still ignorant to the way things happen in the Bratva. How else do I make it clear to her that home means death. As long as people think I killed Genovese
