"We're going to sneak in through the tunnels," I say and my brothers and Trish nod."I can help guide you," Trish offers. "Although it's been a long time since I've been down there.""Absolutely not," Connor says, voice firm, shutting it down fast. "You're going to stay here with our son where it's safe.""But, Connor, this is my sister!"But, he shakes his head, adamant. "Sorry, a ghrá. You're staying put.""But—"He silences her with a kiss. Then, pulls back and whispers, "I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you down there. I need you here and ready to call your mom if we need help on the inside."His words seem to placate her and she nods."Okay, I can do that," she relents. "I just want to help.""I know. And we may need you to make that phone call."Roberto rolls his shoulders back and turns to me. "You were just down there, Ry. What kind of tunnels are we dealing with?"I try to ignore the shiver that runs through my body. I never planned on returning to those damn
Once we get into Chicago, Roberto drives us straight over to the waterfront and I direct him to the general vicinity of where I remember stumbling out of the tunnels after my escape."It's across from the docks. Turn left here," I direct him, and Roberto turns the Jeep, slowing it down."Now what?" he asks, looking around. "I don't see anything."Squinting, I study the riverfront and try to see where the door is hidden among the rocks. My heart sinks when I don't immediately spot it. I know it's here somewhere."There!" I shout and point straight ahead. I'm already throwing the back door open as Roberto pulls over to the side of the road. Hauling ass over to the wooden door, camouflaged by rocks and weeds, I instantly spot the silver chain and large padlock keeping the door which I broke open closed securely once again.But not securely enough."Bring the sledgehammer!" I call out to my brothers. They've got the rear of the truck open and they're grabbing the small bag of tools and su
The moment I ran into Rylan in that tunnel, everything became so clear. He was there to save me, to risk his life, and that could only mean one thing: he cares.The moment his arms go around me, a relief like I've never felt before pours through me and I know I'm safe. The danger is over, Tony Maggiano is dead and I'm going home. But to a new home. A place where a family that is supposed to be my enemy has shown me nothing but love and kindness and embraced me as one of their own. As far as I'm concerned, I'm never returning to that old brownstone to live under my father's thumb. He can keep his wrath and hate. I want nothing to do with it.Because I have a bright future ahead of me. Rylan and I have a lot to talk about, but I'm ready for it all. Plus, now that I know he cares, it's going to make telling him about the baby a little bit easier and a lot less scary.On the way back to the Mennetti compound, I tell Rylan to keep pressure on the wound that Tony inflicted. Luckily, it's no
Breaking apart, Rylan presses his forehead to mine. "I was so scared I'd lost you, Solana. So damn scared.""Oh, Ry—" My voice breaks. This man is my everything and I wrap my arms around his neck and whisper, "I have something to tell you."His mouth edges up. "What, princess?"My nerves kick up, but I press on, finding the courage to say, "I'm pregnant.""I know," he whispers, completely calm and relaxed."You know?" I exclaim, pulling back. "How? Did Trish tell you?" I'm going to kill my sister."No, she didn't. Not exactly, anyway. But your reaction at the dinner table when I mentioned not wanting kids any time soon coupled with the fact that the women all told me you'd been throwing up out in the garden every morning for the past week kind of clued me in.""Oh," I murmur, calming down. "I suppose it shouldn't exactly be a total shocker since we never used any protection. Like ever. And, well, we did it an awful lot."His mouth edges up and he searches my eyes. "What would you say
When morning comes, I wake up to find Solana's head on my chest, her dark hair spread all over me like a silken waterfall. I sift my fingers through the gorgeous, thick strands and the light scent of lilacs fills my nose. This woman is amazing and I spent all night showing her just how much I love her.It wasn't enough, though, and I could spend every day, all day, making love to her, holding her close and planning our future together. A future that was almost ripped away from us by a madman with a knife. A future that I need desperately and immediately with this woman.For the first time in my life, I know I've made the right decision. I'm marrying Solana as soon as possible.Eventually, Solana's eyes flutter open and the smile she gives me fills my heart with the purest joy. Before Solana, I never could imagine myself being so in love, so happy with a woman. And here we are. There's no way I'm going to risk losing this woman and the sooner I make her mine, the better."What?" she wh
It's summer now, so the days are longer. Which means we won't get married until later this evening. But the day is busy, preparing. My mom is whipping up a feast, Trish is helping Solana get ready, Connor and Roberto are making sure there's enough alcohol to celebrate and that the garden is in tip-top shape, and set up to accommodate everyone. Meanwhile, Finley has been decorating it with ribbons and flowers.Everything is coming together and I couldn't be happier.After spending the afternoon in a jewelry shop, I finally decide on the perfect ring. A flawless, princess-cut diamond for my princess. I just hope she loves it as much as I do.By 6 PM, I'm wearing my suit and standing just outside the garden with my brothers. I'm not going to lie—my nerves have kicked in and I'm starting to sweat. This fear that Solana has changed her mind for whatever reason is making me nervous as hell."I'm not being too pushy am I?" I ask. Christ, the ring in my pocket feels like it weighs a ton and I
Eight Months Later...Every single day that passes, I think our lives together can't get any better. And every single day, Rylan surprises me in some new way to show me that marrying him was the best decision I ever made. And it truly has been. He's become my reason for why.Why I smile, why I laugh, why I feel so cherished every moment of every day. I've never experienced anything quite so wonderful and I'm grateful more than words can say. More than all the stars in the sky.I also adore his family and being so close to Trish again is the best. We're always hanging out together and she's helping me get through my pregnancy. It hasn't been easy, but since she's already gone through it, her advice has been priceless. Our mom has been visiting a lot, too, which makes me so very happy.Of course, not everything is sunshine and roses. One day when we're sitting together at Trish's house, hanging out with Griffin and talking, my mom tells us that Papà has washed his hands of us. I know he
"I can't do this," I exclaim, tears springing into my eyes."Yes, you can," she assures me, patting my arm. "Just hang in there. Once they drug you up, it's much better."A choked laugh bursts from my throat. "That's reassuring.""You've got this, Lana." She looks me in the eye. "You're going to have a baby, about to witness the miracle of life, and I promise you—it's worth the pain because it's the most beautiful thing in the world."Easy for her to say. She's not the one who has to give birth soon.I'm glad my sister is so confident, but I'm not. And when Rylan appears with a wild, panicked look in his ice-blue eyes, I want to laugh again, but another contraction strikes. Then my water breaks."Let's go!" Trish calls, ushering me over to the SUV."I have to change!" I declare, horrified at my wet pants."You can change in the car," she tells me, helping me climb into the backseat. "Rylan! Move it!"Rylan snaps out of his deer in headlights, completely frozen stance and bolts to the
"Welcome to the family, Luca. Officially," Connor adds, his champagne flute extended, and we all chuckle. The toast makes my heart happy because for the first time, what's happening between our families is genuine.Looking down the table, I take a moment to soak in what I see—endless smiling faces and a fierce love that brings tears to my eyes. Except for Matthias, Anna and Giovanni, everyone is here and it's amazing.We're at the hotel, celebrating in the attached restaurant. My brothers sit with their wives and my two nephews are being held by their glowing mothers. Trish and Connor are incredible parents and I hope to follow in their footsteps one day. Same with Solana and Rylan who is healing up quite nicely and being fussed over constantly by his adoring wife. Roberto and Adeline will be having their own little one soon enough and the way he looks at her makes my heart tumble.My mother sits beside Harrison Shepherd who's been welcomed into our dysfunctional chaos with open arms.
The intensity of her sucking increases and even though I'm trying to be good and not blow, it's getting damn hard. "Fuck, Finley," I swear. It's all too much and the moment she hums and those little vibrations skate up my aching length, I grab her shoulders and pull her up."I wasn't done," she says with a frown.Fighting for control, a muscle flexes in my jaw as I turn her toward the tub and help her step inside. "I want to come inside that sweet pussy, baby girl. And you're going to take my cock deep inside you and ride it hard. Can you do that for me?"She licks her lips in answer and I nearly blow my wad.Lowering myself into the tub, I guide Finley down to straddle me, and rest my arms along the porcelain edges. She takes a moment to get situated then shifts forward, spreading her legs wider. I drop a hand into the warm water, grasp my throbbing cock and push at her entrance. "Take it all," I encourage her. "Every last inch."With a soft moan, Finley starts to sink down, her body
After losing the assholes enforcers, the drive back to the city is uneventful. And that's fine by me. I've had enough adventure to last a lifetime. From this point forward, all I want is to focus all of my attention on Finley and make her the happiest woman in the world. I know I have some more apologizing to do, but right now, I just want to make it up to her.And my plan is to start with multiple orgasms. Butter her up a little first then pour my heart out and beg for her forgiveness. Hopefully, it's a good plan.I've lost what little faith and trust I had in Matthias, so I tell Roberto to drop us off at the hotel where their mother is staying."But I want to stay with you," Finley murmurs softly. She's curled up on my lap and my mouth edges up."You will. Don't worry, I'm not letting you out of my sight. I just don't want to go back to the apartment my father gave us. I'll never trust him again and we'll get our own place soon, tesoro."When Roberto finally pulls the Jeep up to the
My knees give out and I drop down to the rooftop patio, shaking so hard. The sound of pounding boots fills the air and I immediately tense—until I see Luca. He sweeps out onto the terrace, pulls me up and I sag against him."Thank Christ," he murmurs, pressing a string of kisses against my temple. "C'mon, we need to go."We lace fingers and jog back through the storage room then down the three flights of steps."How did you get away? Where are my brothers? Rylan? Is he okay?" I manage to ask."We overpowered some enforcer scum," he tells me. "Rylan was grazed by a bullet, but he's okay, and your brothers are loading him up into the Jeep right now.""I-I killed him," I murmur, still feeling a little shell-shocked."Don't think about it," he says, sliding an arm around my shoulders and holding me close. "You did what you had to do."I send up a little prayer that Desmond's twisted body is lying on the side driveway and not here in the front because I don't ever want to see it again. Luc
Luca seems to be on the same page. "Do you really think you can get away with this?" he asks. "Matthias is coming for you and there isn't a soul more ruthless than him. He won't rest until you're no longer a threat.""He's right," I add. "Matthias will fight you until his last breath.""You think I'm scared of Matthias?" Desmond scoffs. "After I take care of you, he's next. I've already hired the hitman to take him out."Luca and I exchange a quick look. Is he telling the truth? I have no idea, but it's definitely possible. We need to get away from Desmond, but how? Suddenly, two huge enforcers appear and Desmond motions to us."Grab them," he orders.My heart sinks as I'm yanked away from Luca and the enforcer forces me to walk toward the house. I have no idea what Desmond is planning, but I'm really starting to worry about my brothers. Where are they?I find out the answer as soon as we enter the house. Connor and Roberto are each sitting in a chair, tied up, and it looks like they
My eyes snap open and I carefully move my arms and legs. All good, no breaks. I have no idea how I'm still in one piece and all I can do is thank my lucky stars. Then I call out for Luca."Luca..." Turning onto my side, I look for him, but my eyes are still trying to focus after being knocked silly. Coughing from the smoke, I struggle to pull myself up into a sitting position, squinting through the thick billows of ash and black clouds. Finally, I spot Luca a hundred or so feet away from me.He's lying on the grass and not moving."Oh, God, no." Is he hurt? Or worse? Heart in my throat, stomach dropping in dread, I pull myself to my feet and stumble over to him. Falling down beside him, I lay my hands on his chest and lean down. "Luca?"When he doesn't respond, everything in me sinks hard and fast. Panic sets in and my fingers curl, grabbing hold of his shirt and shaking. "Luca!" I hiss.This can't be happening. He came to rescue me, told me he loved me and would never leave me...and
"We have a big fucking problem!" Luca snaps into his comms unit. "Stay away from here. Desmond has the barn rigged with explosives and I need to get Finley untied! Stall him!"My heart plunges. Connor and Roberto abruptly stop walking after Luca warns them that they're heading straight into a trap. Which, of course, is going to let Desmond know that something is up. But, thank God, Connor seems to play it off smoothly as he reengages Desmond in conversation.But, I know my brothers will only be able to stall for so long before Desmond realizes something is going on. He's too damn smart and ruthless.Luca stays low, working frantically on my bindings and I'm twisting, pulling and turning until my scraped wrists start bleeding."Fuck!" Luca glances up and I see fear and worry flash through his molasses eyes. Connor and Roberto have turned back around and continue talking to Desmond again, still stalling, and I don't see Rylan anywhere.Suddenly, chaos erupts up by the house and we look
By the time we get to the compound, I'm on the edge of my seat and ready to get this done. I want my woman back in my arms where she belongs and I'll do anything to make it happen.Roberto drives around to the rear of the property and lets me and Rylan out. We're splitting up so we can keep an eye on things better. I slide the tiny communications unit into my ear and we test them quickly. Everything appears to be in working order and Roberto gives us a salute."Stay in touch," Connor says."Roger that," Rylan responds and I give a sharp nod.The Jeep drives away and Connor and Roberto head to the front gate. The plan is for them to meet up with Desmond while Ry and I will stay under the radar, keeping a close eye on things. If Desmond deviates from the plan or tries to be sneaky in any way, we'll be ready."Ready?" Rylan asks."Let's do this."We move through the woods and sneak onto the property. From here, the plan is to split up and move to opposite sides of the large rear yard."S
Sweeping around the corner, our plan foremost in my brain, we walk straight into two enforcers and immediately jump them. They aren't expecting us and we use the element of surprise to our advantage. It's four against two and, even though the guys are big, they don't expect us to come flying out of the blackness and attack like wraiths.Roberto and Rylan quickly overpower the guard on the left while Connor and I take down the burly guy on the right. I tackle him at the knees and he drops hard while Connor slugs him with a fist to the face. We work well together and I pop up, lift my gun and slam it down against the base of the enforcer's skull. He drops like a brick and Connor gives me a nod.Glancing over, I see Roberto just finished doing the same thing.Once the guards are taken care of, or at least momentarily out of the picture, I stalk over to the cell and see Sean Flannigan cowering in there like the weasel he is and always will be. Looking down, I see the cell door is locked.