"PUSSY..."Margaux sighed heavily upon hearing Rome. It had been half an hour since the man confessed to her, but she still couldn't speak. Hundreds of things had been running through her since they left the memorial park and drove her car.Although the brute didn't mention the magic words directly, the effect of what he said affected her just the same. He made his promise to her so sincerely that it sounded almost like he loved her. 'Shit—'"I'm expecting a better reaction than that." It was Rome that broke the tension between them. He was driving with her to 'God-knows-where,' but then she couldn't even care less about where they were going. "I'm breaking all your rules in your face, Cara mia. Aren't you going to say something?" Margaux turned away from Rome and pretended not to hear him. Then, hoping her heart would stop beating madly, she watched the view they were passing by through the car's window.It was already past five, and everything in that part of the city was bathing in
NOTHING WAS NORMAL with the Saavedra's house. It was located in a valley, about half an hour away from the city. The way to it wasn't a regular street. Rather, it was a dark extension in one of the country's tunnels that not many people noticed. Well, what should be expected with a 'safe house' anyway?After a long drive inside that dark, sophisticated cave, Rome's car reached the mansion's gate. It was made of full metal, with two guards standing just before the main entrance.Looking through his car's window and recognizing him as the Saavedra's youngest son, one of the guards respectfully nodded and pressed a button inside the guard post. That triggered the electric door to open, giving a clear view of the place he grew up in, 'The House.'It was a four-story mansion made of red bricks in the middle of a vast gun-shooting range. Luxurious? Yeah, maybe a bit, considering the magnanimous swimming pool on one side of their home and the golf course on the other. Tall, sturdy trees were
TWELVE IN THE EVENINGMission in the Grande Casa HotelRome knew that he shouldn't be here at this hour. His eleven to four had always been Margaux's, and he had no qualms about religiously giving her those hours.However, this evening was different from all the other nights. There were no kisses, no making love until the next dawn, and more so, no sweet nothings.Even his need to embrace her to sleep lost its bearing at the moment. He had to attend his father's punishments, and there was no way he could just say no to the head of their house.He failed to hide things he should have from his father. Don Marco still noticed the slightest emotion that showed on his face when they met a week ago.That was a fucking big no. Thus, his father ordered him to do an extracurricular activity on top of his running mission inside Alejandro's villa. Don Marco said that he had softened and had no right to be one of the mafia's hitmen.Rome was ordered to take down Senator Luis Brambilla, another 'c
MARGAUX FELT THE MATTRES BEHIND HER SINK under someone's weight. It marked the start of a sick routine that had been dragging on for the past five nights.She was so aware of it because she had been patiently staring at the desk clock for hours. Rome should have entered her room by eleven, but it was already past two in the morning. He was late again, and only God knew how much she wanted to ask why."Where'd you been?" Margaux tried her luck and spat out the question that was burning in her throat. However, as always, Rome didn't answer and just turned his head away.That was all he did each night: lay beside her and let his constant breaths tell her that he was still alive. His reaction was far less than what Margaux needed, but then she couldn't do anything else but sigh.She wasn't good with emotional torture, and Rome should be the first to know about that. Curling her body in a fetal position under the quilt, she mentally cursed, 'Damn...'She wasn't 'eidetic, and it was easy fo
'CARA MIA, WHEN DO YOU PLAN TO WAKE UP?'Rome couldn't stop phasing back and forth in his room. He hadn't been smoking for days, but then looking at the only woman he cared about forced him to.Margaux was still unconscious minutes after he dared her. Should he have known that Margaux would react that way, he could have started teaching her something more manageable. Morse code, assassin theories, just goddamn anything.Getting even more stressed, Rome raked his fingers through his hair. He had never worried about anyone this much, and this unpleasing feeling wasn't something he was accustomed to. He didn't want to succumb to it. However, how was he to avoid it if Margaux's survival was at stake?Before Rome could even think, his feet had already walked towards the bed where she was. He cursed again when Margaux's tiny frame came into his view.How could something so small and vulnerable have such overwhelming power over him? She was just a girl. She was not even the best, for that ma
WHEN ROME TOLD HER THAT HE WAS TAKING HER OUT, the first thing that came to Margaux's mind was that he would take her on a 'normal' date. She also thought of a candlelit dinner. A violinist playing music in the background as they eat something savory. A Rockafellar oyster, perhaps? She heard that's a good aphrodisiac. Wine and some sexy moments could have made shots on their date, too. What else could be hotter than a sensual squeeze on her ass when she least expected it anyway?Those were the first things that Margaux anticipated this morning. Normal stuff done by equally 'normal' people However, she forgot something very important while thinking of those sweet things. Normal doesn't apply to her caro—not one syllable or even a freaking single letter from it."Keep your hands up, Cara."'Huh? Wait. What--.'"Lesson four! Never put your defenses down.""Shit!" Margaux's scream echoed through the walls when a jab suddenly hit her forehead. The attack caught her so unprepared that she f
ROME WAS ON THE VERGE OF LOSING HIS TEMPER. The library he was in was spacious, but then he couldn't breathe. It was hard to do so when the person he loathed the most was on the other line— tempting him just as the devil would.[Think about it, Romano. You will never get an offer like this again.] Don Alejandro chuckled, and Rome grimaced at how disgusting it sounded from the speaker. [All you have to do is sign the document, and everything will be yours.]'Margaux…' He closed his eyes when a part of him called her name. Then, just like that, everything the don said, even the mild rustling of the trees outside the room, started fading away.[I can protect you, il mio figlio. You will have my endless support. All the money, power, and every little thing that you will need to dominate the cartel.]'No...'[La mio famiglia ti sta aspettando.] The old man grounded every word between his gnashing teeth, stressing the importance of what he said.However, Rome didn't reply and just looked aw
HE TORTURED HER, but not as much as he tortured himself.Rome knew he needed a mental break. Probably a couple of minutes to let himself breathe and reassess all the information clogging his mind.He wanted to scream, break someone's face, or maybe punch anything to release all the tension pent up on his knuckles. However, it was odd that he couldn't even move an inch from where he stood. His whole world had stopped, leaving nothing but the sound of Margaux's foot stomping against the wooden floor.Tap...Tap...Tap... 'Diablo!'He gritted his teeth as he took in every word the Morse code was saying. Beyond livid, he covered his mouth with his palm to muffle his scream. 'I'm going to skin you alive, Alejandro! I swear I'm going to do it, and I'll make sure to bury you while you are still breathing.'"Rome?" Then there was that fragile voice that cut through his murderous thoughts and dragged him out of his trance. Forced to lift his gaze, he saw Margaux looking back at him with her sh
The sun was soft as it shone over Reiti, Paso, Italy. Just like all the good days inside that villa, the gentle waves hitting the shore could be seen from where the Don sat. The mild breeze was playing with his hair as he silently sipped his wine. Soft white curtains were swaying on every open window too, making them look as if they were dancing peacefully with the mild tune he was humming. Alla mia Amata, of course."Papa?"Alejandro pretended not to see the tiny boy climbing on his lap. Instead, he covered his face harder with the newspaper in his hands, as if he were busy reading it. Nonetheless, his senses were at full alert, and he discreetly lowered one of his legs down to make sure that the child would have something to grab on to and wouldn't fall. Only God could describe how the child's mother turned into a monster whenever the child got hurt."Papa...""I'm reading, Romano," he said, dragging the child's name, copying how the baby dragged his. "Lots of news lately that could
It was the worst battle he had fought. A war where he couldn't tell who was with him and who wasn't. A battle where he had to keep firing his gun while holding his cara and staring death in the face simultaneously.He lost count of the number of bullets his body took for her. His whole body was numbing, but then he just couldn't let go.His mind was empty, unable to recognize who his enemies were. Alejandro's soldiers were fighting like a group of hungry beasts. The group that broke through the gate minutes ago, which he had recognized as Marco's, was just as ferocious.He noticed one of the groups protecting him when he rushed to the parking lot. Some of its soldiers caught bullets for him, willingly giving their lives to assure that he would get where he needed to.He was in so much pain. But it wasn't because of the random bullets digging into his flesh. He knew that pain so well. It wasn't for him, but for Margaux. It was for the child barely holding on inside her.The whole world
"MARGAUX..."Alberta's voice didn't reach her ears when the now-familiar stab crushed her nerves again. Automatically, her hand found the back of her hips, trying to keep them from splitting in two. The drop of sweat that fell on her fist, resting on her lap, looked blurry. Her tummy was in pain—so much pain that she had to burst out of breath to stop herself from groaning."Are you alright?""Are you done talking?" She tightly closed her eyes. She saw double, and it was the last thing she needed."I said, I'm sorry."She didn't reply. She understood what the old woman, kneeling and crying before her, was saying, but then it just wouldn't entirely register with her. More so when everything in her mind was Rome and him alone. All she remembered was that Alberta mentioned something like 'the Don's son and mother.' Or was it mother that she said?Whatever it was, she felt her heart crunch painfully hearing it, but not half as much as the one she was trying to tolerate while sitting there
THE VILLA WAS BUZZING at five in the morning. The scent of food combined with flowers was lingering in the air. The tables—hundreds of them—were carefully wrapped in meticulous white linens. The maids were like bees running back and forth, carrying plates and silverware. Violinists, called out at the most unholy time of the day, were cramming to learn the best and most beautiful music they would ever play: the Alla Mia Amata."You missed the timing; it would mean something different." The Don was in the middle of the crowd, looking down at the poor violinist."S-señor?""It's for my son. Perfect it," he ordered in a cold voice. His amber eyes were piercing, silently warning the musician to get the proper tempo or else it would be the last piece he would play. "You have to perfect it," he gritted, making the musician's knee shake at once with the terror that engulfed him."Y-Yes, señor." The musician barely opened his mouth, reaching for the paper before him to read the complicated n
MICE PLAY IN THE ABSENCE OF CATS. Same as how the envious smaller gods play in the absence of bigger gods. This part happened somewhere between sacred nights and mornings."The Montenegro child has already shown up." A young man gently pushed a pawn across the chessboard. Then, stopping his move right next to the White Queen, he settled the piece and looked up at his competitor."Oh, she did?" His playmate, an older man in his seventies, countered that move by moving the White Queen to eliminate the pawn.That made the young man chuckle. Languidly, he pressed his back against the leather seat he was sitting on. "Yes, Papa. The soldiers found her.""Molto bien..." Satisfaction flooded the old man's voice. He mirrored what his son did. He stretched his back and relaxed, grabbing the wine glass on the table. One sip, and he then asked, "How about God? Did he already show up?""Not yet, papa," the younger man answered, giving his father a brief look before gazing back at the chessboard. "
It was hard to tell if hell was actually a burning place. At three in the morning, hell looked nothing like what the Bible said. It was just pitch black with phone rings and voices.[Hello? She's on her way, God.]"Good."[Should I send the soldiers to meet her?]"Don't. Wait for her to enter our territory."[God?]"He will run after her. Wait for it."...'DRIVING TO THE VILLA. Will talk to Dad. Be back tonight. Love, Margaux'A three-sentence note on the mirror, a little heart smiley, and her name written using her red lipstick were all it took for Rome's mind to melt into broken letters.He was tired, and her arms were warm, so he slept. He should not have.Who would have thought that it would take only a short while for her to slip between his fingers? Like sand seeping down and falling where she shouldn't be?'You lured her...' He blinked his eyes, trying to balance himself as he reached for her name. His fingers were trembling when they touched the cold mirror, hoping that it
DARKNESS.Not a single drop of light illuminated the heavens that night—not the moon or even a single star. There was nothing except for silent voices talking in pitch-black."He saw us watching him, didn't he?"[He is smarter than I expect, God.]"Of course, he is!" Pride dripped from that unknown voice as the speaker chuckled. "He is the one and only Romano, after all."[Okay... So what's your next order?]"Drag them back." The god yawned, sounding a bit bored, before adding, "Make sure that the Amati is there once I come..."...ALBERTA WAS CALLING...No, it was better to say that she was bombarding Margaux with her calls. Hundreds of them in the past twelve hours. Nonstop.'Should I tell Rome?' Lifting her eyes from the vibrating phone on her hand, she looked up and scanned the unfamiliar room before her—unpainted walls, grey, and way less colorful than the skin of its late owner, Tat."Why are you just staying there? Why don't you come here?"She jerked upon hearing the man sit
GOD WAS MOVING. He was moving his chess pieces so accurately, and no one could tell what was next."Burn it," he ordered before sipping wine from his glass. His voice was calm, just like the wide ocean before him. Santorini mornings had always been perfect anyway, more so, his mansion there. Whitewashed houses line the most beautiful mountain in the world, meeting the blue Aegean waters as they calmly hit the shore.It was heaven with a demon living in it."Burn it down and..." the God chuckled while letting the sweet breeze mess with his graying hair. "... break his other leg. Make sure that he wouldn't have anywhere else to go."...'Cazzata!'Rome's cuss remained unspoken as he watched his headquarters, 'The Romans', burn through nine different TV screens. Thick, dark smoke was rising from the same building he had worked so hard for. From the aerial shot taken by the news channel, he could see the showcase of his bar getting licked by fire. His people were screaming and getting t
"I want to see you both in that dress, Cara."Rome felt his chest tighten just by calling her. Could he tell her what was pressing him down on that bed? Or could he at least tell her what was choking him while begging her to wear that dress again? He hoped he could. "Please...""I-I don't have that dress anymore."'This is horrible...' He closed his eyes. Finally finding the energy to move his head. He opened his eyes again and looked at her. He saw Margaux looking back at him over her beautiful shoulder. His gaze then glided down her back, mingling a bit longer on the hollow of her spine, before settling on her hips.Involuntarily, the corner of his lips lifted, although that smile didn't reach his sad amber eyes. 'My baby's growing fast.'"Stop smiling like that while staring at my butt, Caro."Margaux's irritated voice aired, forcing him to look up at her face. The same beautiful face he would love to kiss the rest of his life if he were lucky enough to have some more time left.'L