Looking between her and the doctor, I move without hesitation, sitting before him as he smirks."Do you hurt anywhere, in particular, Mr Moretta?" He asks me."No—.""He hurts," Emma overtalks me."Where?" he asks me. For a long moment, I choose to be quiet, contemplating standing up and refusing to be seen at all. But with Emma standing right there behind him, arms crossed, her bottom lip trapped as she bites down on it, makes me second-guess my choice."Chest," I reveal reluctantly."I'd like to have a look. Can you take off your upper clothing, please?"Gritting my teeth, having noted Emma floating closer, I do as he asks. Usually, I would ignore my injuries and allow them to heal on their own, but Emma feels the need to ensure my safety.I shrug off my ruined blazer and the shirt that's ripped in several places, dropping them on the floor carelessly. They'll go in the bin, anyway."Ah," the doctor hums whilst Emma gasps aloud.I haven't looked at myself, but from the sounds of it,
LucaI should have immediately gotten up last night to see what the fuck Bianca was up to, but I couldn't give up the chance to hold Emma close after we finally broke the fucking ice that was dividing us.So I held Emma until she fell asleep, and then I rolled her onto the mattress, spooning her until sleep also took me. But a gut feeling woke me early in the morning as if someone was watching us.Emma was still snuggly held to my body when my eyes flew open, her head under my chin as I breathed her in.The clock on her bedside table read three thirty, yet despite the muted light it gave warding off the pitch darkness, I swear I could have seen someone sitting in the armchair looking back at me.I squinted for a few moments hoping my eyesight would adjust to reveal who it was, but it was far too dark to see who dared to sit in my room whilst I slept, but in honesty, I had an inkling who the fuck it might be. Call it intuition, or let's admit that the hairs on the back of my fucking ne
Despite wanting nothing more than to climb back in bed with Emma, I chose to stop by the garden, where our men are training with one another, as I would expect them to.I noted them as I walked down the hall, stopping to stare out the window as I marvelled at how good they were becoming in hand-to-hand combat. I have Emma to thank for that. Just when I thought they couldn't improve, she showed up to prove me wrong.Backtracking through the house, I chose to stand off to the side and watch in the shadows, not really piquing anyone's interest nor imposing on their training session. My pain threshold would not hold up anyway.I'm disgusted to say after a while; I find Bianca in the thick of my men doing precisely what Emma might have been doing if she weren't in bed, exhausted from the last few days of hell.She, too, moves just as fluidly as Emma does, leaving me with no doubt that they were trained by the same person. I find myself hovering closer to marvel at the fact that though even
EmmaMy heart wasbeating in my throat when I woke up to no Luca beside me. After last night, I thought he might sleep in with me.Rolling to my side, I see the clock reads seven-thirty. It's late, yet I'm bone tired and ache like hell.Sitting up, I find Niko sitting in the armchair, watching me intently as he leans back in the chair with his legs spread. Both elbows are on the armrests, his fingers pressed to his lips."Niko," I fright, holding my chest that hurts with how rapidly the beat of my heart is racing."I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he shrugs. "Are you okay? I know you said you were yesterday, but Luca's not here now; you don't have to lie," he exclaims calmly."I'm fine, Niko... just as I had said yesterday.""Good, that's good," he trails off.Cinching the bedsheet against me, I do nothing but stare at him as he stares back. Something in his eyes seems depleted, as if he's received some bad news that's set him off to hate life today.I want to ask him about it,
"Luca, you're hurting her," I tell him imploringly. "Let her go.""She can get out of it," he fires back immediately, but his eyes change. They're not dark orbs of evil as they were only moments before. Now, they're soft, an emotion he seems to reserve for me, even if his actions fail to mirror his internal feelings."Can't you, Bianca?" Luca asks her teasingly.She grits her teeth, batting his arm away before using her elbow to hit him in the stomach. She has him falling to his knees with a knee to his groin. And it's then I see his hatred for her again.Why does he hate her? "See, no harm," he tells me angrily. My eyes bounce between them, and I know then I need to get her away from here where she'll be safe."Bianca?" I call anxiously."Just training, Emm," she lies, smiling to me. But I can tell it's fake, and there's definitely an element of needing to escape in her eyes.Luca grabs for her, pulling her to him as he settles her under his arm. He's still livid but puts on a show
EmmaIt's two in the morning, and I find myself standing in Luca's office just before the break of dawn. Startled from my sleep, he pulled me from our bed to attend an urgent meeting he called in the dead of night.Niko and Mass are seated across from us, their expressions mirroring my own alarm at being summoned at such an ungodly hour."What the fuck is this?" Niko shoots a sharp, skeptical look across to Luca, his evident disdain for his boss simmering just below the surface."It appears my wife desires her sister to depart, and I wholeheartedly concur regarding the timing. I require you to escort her," Luca reluctantly discloses.I'm feeling quite bewildered. Why would he choose to send Niko, of all people, to accompany me to my father's estate when he poses a more significant threat to my safety than Bianca does? Niko glares at Luca, clarifying that he does not appreciate his boss."Luca," I started to say."Uh-ah, Emma. I'll help with this unexpected delivery, but it will be don
"Wait.What? Does Luca know?" I ask quietly, trying to keep my worry from being evident."No, I haven't told him. These are your results, Mrs. Moretta, not his.""If he knows, it'll worry him. What do the blood results mean? The milli—whatever it was.""I understand your concern, Mrs. Moretta. Your child is his heir, remember? Your HCG levels suggest you are very early on, four or five weeks perhaps. It would be premature to perform a scan at this stage as there will likely be nothing to see. So I'd suggest waiting another fornight. However, we've caught your vitamin deficiencies early, so my chosen treatment will be very effective.""Right, the vitamins, they'll address the deficiencies completely?""Yes, they are easily manageable with the prescribed treatment.""Well, that's something. Can you send the prescription to the same pharmacist?""Of course, it'll be there momentarily for Niko to collect.""Thank you.""My pleasure, Mrs. Moretta. And congratulations, you must be so excited
EmmaDespite feeling reluctant, I wake up feeling groggy and cold. My teeth chatter, and my headaches with a dull pulsating pain that I can only compare with the first time I was drugged in the same way.At first, I was trying to remember exactly what happened. It's there in the back of my mind—just out of reach. But as soon as my eyes snap open, I'm rendered anxious at the reality I've found myself in.I was so sure dropping my sister home would go along without a problem, and it did—until it didn't.Begging my eyes to focus, I look around my surroundings. I'm in a cell. The walls are dark and wet, as I can tell from the smell that seemingly comes from the eighteen hundreds, and the floor is equally as wet beneath me.I know this place...I hate this place.Gritting my teeth, I sit up, scooting back out of panic, expecting someone to greet me. But all that welcomes me is pitch black and the howl of silence as my back hits a hard surface damp with trickling water."Hello?" I call out,
Continued:My entrance is dramatic, and I twist my ankle. Barely containing the yelp of pain as hands steady me. "Careful," Niko warns as his hands grab my shoulders. Righting me, he strokes my cheek and kisses my forehead. Then he leaves me, moving for Alexandra, who is sitting on one of the kitchen stalls in the middle of the kitchen. I watch Niko closely tie her to the stall, ensuring her hands and legs are immobile.I'm itching to turn every light off and cut out all light for anyone searching for something to guide their way here, to me.The seconds tick by until he's finished, and I slap every light switch to swamp us in darkness when he begins to stand."Bee?" He questions me as the house falls into darkness. The silence around us stretches out only as far as Alexandra's laugh allows. She knows, god, she knows that they're coming. "Isaw lightout at sea," I whisper to Niko. "She's guiding them here. I'm sure of it!" I tell him desperately, knowing he probably won't believe m
BiancaThings are escalating so quickly, and I'm at a complete loss for words. I don't know what to do with the information safely stowed away in my bra. It is burning my skin. It's begging me to reveal it, knowing deep down that we need to acknowledge the fact that a Densel was seemingly working against one of their own with the likes of another man's wife, who just so happens to be one of the top three rulers of our kind.I'm sure Niko could make more heads over the tail of it himself, but I don't want to give away the game for Alexandra only to win with the upper hand. Because she knows, she knows what Benji was doing there, and she might be the fucking key for the downfall headed our way. Now, whether Benji is the one she is hinting at or if she is hinting at Mitchel is above me right now.Anxiety rolls through me, and a sixth sense begs me to accept the truth. They were working together, but for what and why? And more importantly, who?So, I defer. I accused her of cheating des
Continued: Sighing and gritting my teeth in annoyance, I begin to unbutton my shirt in a hurry. Shifting it off my shoulders, I hold it out to Alexandra with a stern look of annoyance, willing her to take it without saying thank you. Sven chuckles from the back of the boat. He's far enough away that his chuckle comes at me quietly, but I hear it anyway as I make eye contact with him. He never did appreciate having morals. "Thank you," Alexandra eagerly takes my shirt, wrapping it around herself, proving she was trying her damned hardest to conceal the fact she was indeed very cold. I train my gaze away from her lack of attire, aware that my staring might well upset Bianca, and I far from want to create that distance between us. Not after we've come so far in our relationship. "I think you need to start talking, Alexandra," I finally demand with a low undertone, my voice as menacing as I can make it. I want to instil as much fear as I can to successfully seek the answers I need. Bu
Niko The short ride to the private dock is tense and, quite frankly, unnerving as I try to remain stoic and quiet after saving Alexandra and nearly losing Bianca in the process. I want to ask Bianca exactly what happened and how she came to be in that room alone with no one holding her there as I thought I'd find, but I cannot fathom asking these questions in the earshot of Sven, and perhaps even Alexandra. I need to judge whether the pair of them are safe, and I definitely need to gauge whether Alexandra is a threat. How did she know that Bianca would be in that room, and would she tell me if she had planned to abduct her alongside the Densels? I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but the Densel dabble in illegal requirements of girls, even by the mafia's sordid morals and not one family knows the coordinates of any one of their bases. Most girls, if not all, disappear without a trace after they are handed over to the Densels. It's quite literally as if they vanish into thin air
Continued:"Stop calling me Bambi.""Don't you like to be reminded of who you belong under, Bee?" "Benji, I—."Surprisingly, he pushes past me, heading for the opened suitcase on the bed. He shoves a few loose articles inside, then walks off to bathroom returning with a wash bag that goes in too.I blink, like a retard. What in the hell?"Don't play games with me, Bambi. Sit down," he scowls at his hands, speaking in the same tone as before. And yet his whole demeanour changes. He drops the knife on the bed, disregarding it as if it hurt him to hold it up to me.I frown at the door I'm still stood before and I talk in a genuinely frightened and confused voice."Okay, okay. Where do you want me?" I ask."There," he point to the desk."I'll sit," I tell him, moving with my hand before me to show I'm playing his game. Even if it seems demented at this point. I walk to the desk, and I see a notepad and pen supplied by the hotel. Taking the pen I write down on the notepad.What the fuck i
BiancaNiko executed his plan very promptly leading me and grabbing the girl as we compiled out of the small door that led us back here in the first place. But things don't continue as expectedly when I start to veer off from Niko with the encouragement of a hand that surely isn't his."Let go of me," I hiss in pain as I'm dragged by the wrist through the crowd of people. The hand holding my wrist is cold, and unlike Niko's warm and inviting touch, I recoil very quickly from the individual leading me away. I try to turn away using my weight as a tool to pivot in the direction I want to head in, my aim is to head back to the group of people that are now lingering outside the door. Back to Niko, back to safety but my feet lose purchase on the floor, my body being lifted quite easily as if I weighed nothing.The strong smell of aftershave fills my nostrils, a stark reminder of him, of Don Densel."Let me go! Let go of me," I begin to shout.Pushing away from the body I find myself crus
Continued: Fuck, I knew bringing her here would mean trouble. No girl enters the den if not to be sold. "Stop," I hiss at Alexandra's struggles as I circle in a hurry. The weight of her stare has me wilting, yet I cannot concentrate on protecting her as I should. I should be hurrying her out of the hotel, getting her into the getaway car. Yet I'm failing my job because of Bianca's whereabouts. "Niko?" Alexandra's voice shows her confusion as she looks up from where my hand is crushing her wrist to my face. I allow myself one moment to look her in the eye, and then I continue to look around the dispersing people for Bianca but not before I see her shoulders square up rather than drop in relief. "Yes, it's me. Please stop trying to get away from me. I've lost Bianca," I worry aloud. "She's over there with Mr Densel," she points out. I halt, turning the way she looks as I see the tail end of Densel leading Bianca through a door at the back of the restaurant's main room, much as I l
NikoI barely had enough time to glance at Alexandra's way, let alone devise a plan with Bianca to lure her away from that table and to safety. I took too long entertaining Bianca and failing to ignore the men's stares when, in fact, I should have been devising a quick escape plan as per my brief.I start thinking of big distractions. Having something like a fire creates chaos seems the best bet. We could grab her as everyone rushes to safety, but the Densels obviously do not want to play around.This Passover seems to be happening far quicker than many before it, and Alexandra is in serious danger of being lost to the Densels.No one has a clue about their bases or where they take their girls, but they live off the grid somewhere protective, and no soul has breathed a word of their whereabouts in years. I've lost a fair few girls, and none have ever shown up afterwards so I fear that's the reasoning for the lack of information. And unfortunately each girl is a life etched into my bra
Continued: Again, I feel the weight of each gaze around the room. Are they seriously waiting for me to eat so they can perve on me some more? I push aside my discomfort and begin to eat. My mind replays our conversation, and I get the intense feeling of needing to push Niko on the subject of his private work. What's their deal, anyway? "There she is," I note, seeing one of Ivarni's sons holding onto a girl's bicep. She looks far from in perfect condition. Despite ample make-up, there's a noticeable darkened mark around her lip as evidence she's been maltreated unacceptably. Her blonde hair screams fake, especially against her tanned skin, and she looks highly dishevelled. Niko tips his beer up, and now I see why he ordered a drink with such a big glass. His movements are half hidden by the fact that he's drinking, but of course, he looks back their way as I try to place the girl's face. Her name is in the back of my mind, yet I struggle to recall it or who she is. But I recognise