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
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.
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
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
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
LILIANAI pace through the empty halls of our grand estate, my sandals slapping against the polished marble floors. The silence is suffocating – a sharp contrast to the chimes of laughter and whispers Kyle and I shared two days ago.I can't help the feeling of despair as it rips through me, taunting me with the possibility of him still being around if I hadn't gone up the stairs that day.As I approach the steps to make my way back into the house, I catch the hushed whispers of the domestic staff and their topic of gossip is about the possible abduction of their boss. They cease their gossip the moment they spot me, making a show of religiously tending to their chores. But I'm no fool.I lift my chin, square my shoulders so as not to betray my emotions, and make my way into the living room. Once in, I slump against the wall as a shuddering breath leaves my lips. “Ma'am, you have a call from Mr. Mikhail.” I raise my eyes. It's the bodyguard assigned to me by Theodore, my husband's ass
DAMIANI'm hunched over the paperwork on my desk skimming over the letters on each page, drinking each information in and growing angrier by the minute.My fingers fly across the keyboard with burning urgency and in a few seconds, the screen displays the private profile of my previous target; Josie Davis. It includes information about him down to the last place he used his credit cards.Picking up a red pen lying on the side, I visualize being the Grim Reaper while I strike Josie's name off my list. When I lift my hand, the paper becomes branded with a brown stain on my palm. The fucker’s blood refused to come off after washing. I chuckle darkly as the memories of his pleas come to mind. Barely minutes after I began our session, he became a wobbly mess with bladder issues.A puny weakling with a big dick and loud mouth. Useless. The room brightens up with light from my phone. I look at it with a big frown which deepens further when I see my brother's name. The reason for his call mi
LILIANA It takes four days of drowning in tears and wallowing in the loss of Kyle without solace before I realize that I'm fast becoming more useless than a couch potato. Eating junk or skipping meals altogether – the fastest way to ruin my life. If Kyle was alive, he would surely crack a joke about my being underweight and I'll throw some chips at him and…You're doing it again, I berate myself before rising from the bed. I sigh. The corners of my eyes are cracked with dried tears and I'm bleary-eyed. I would need to drum it into my subconscious that tears will not bring him back.Another sigh leaves my lips. Perhaps, taking a drive through town and maybe picking up a few things at the grocery's would help?Just maybe. So I freshen up and begin on my way down the stairs where my bodyguard is watching the TV. As soon as I land on the final few steps, he spots me and he pulls himself to his feet.I nod towards the TV. “Crime Now? Very predictable of you.”He gives me a curt smile.
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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