"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