EmmaI'm silent for longer than Niko likes, but I don't know what to say, so I recite my escape with precision. He hisses when I tell him I reeled in the help of three of our men, but I think his annoyance is for the one in particular who helped me leave."You've assured his death in your little game of escape, queen. How does that feel, knowing you've sentenced him to that because of your stupidity?""If I weren't locked in a room with no way out, I wouldn't have needed help at all—Luca's my husband, not my keeper. You can't expect me to sit like a princess in my ivory tower. I have responsibilities, ones I cannot escape.""Your responsibilities now lie with your husband, or have you forgotten the mafia etiquette?" He sighs. "Do you not find it... a coincidence that your father has you leave the country on the same day you pledge yourself to the Moretta name? Or are you that gullible that you hadn't thought about that?" he whispers lowly.I glance at Matteo again and find he's lookin
"Luca's livid," Niko interrupts me again, his eyes flicking up as I raise my gaze to him again."You're texting him whilst we're in the air, in an aircraft?""There's WiFi; it's called iMessage..." he retorts with a small laugh. Yet his demeanour changes quickly when he realises I'm horrified."I wouldn't put you at risk, queen. Why'd you think I took your place? We can't have you harmed before you take your place beside Luca at the head of our family. And we sure can't risk your ability to give us our next reigning Moretta.""Is that all you people think about, an heir? I'm worth more than my wombs ability to create a child for the next generation," I spit angrily."That'll be your most cardinal job, queen. The ability to ensure the bloodline continues is no joke. The respect earned from such a task is next to exemplary. Think about it: you're the only one able to give us the little kids that we'll all cherish. Why do you sit and underestimate the importance of such a task?" "I don'
Luca "Emma, I'm sorry... I shouldn't have locked you in here," I mumble, ashamed as I think over what I had done not forty minutes ago while walking into our bedroom. I could have handled that meltdown with a vast difference, yet here I am, making mistakes at the first fucking hurdle. I shouldn't have locked her away like this, but I saw her stubbornness out to play, and I feared the worst, not giving her a chance to show her loyalty. Yet even as I scold myself internally, my admonishment dies as I stand in the bedroom doorway, the open balcony doors revealing Emma's escape route. I don't need to look around the room to know she's escaped the bedroom, but I do chastise myself internally because I never thought to lock the balcony door. Despite myself a smirk surfaces on my face, Emma is tenacious. Something I'll enjoy punishing her for when I get my hands on her. Something she'll soon learn is a favourite pastime of mine inside the bedroom. Peering outside and over the railing, I
"Mass!" I yell as I enter the house; he's there waiting for me as if knowing I would be calling upon him. Perhaps he did; it is his camera rotation this afternoon, even though he only got home late last night after taking out Pierce. "She got away, didn't she?" He asks me with a sly grin. "Have you had her followed, or have you failed to keep her within eyeshot as I demanded?" I hiss in annoyance. Mass looks at me with feigned ignorance, clutching his chest as he pretends to absorb my annoyance. "We have a car on their tail and a car waiting at the airport, as per Niko's request," he reveals. "So he got away with her?" I ask, angered a little. Not that I should be upset she has him with her; at least her back will be covered whilst she tries to kill my arms dealer on her father's whim, and on that thought, having Niko there to protect our arms dealer if the need arises is another plus for him having gotten away with her. Then again, thinking back over the way he's been looking
EmmaWe land without any problems, and my father's men are ready and waiting with a sleek red Ferrari fit for only two just off to the side of the aircraft. The air is muggy, instant sweat slicking across my skin as I acclimatise to the heat.Taking a moment to ensure our safety, I look around the hangar, recognising the two men as my liaisons here in Germany, Enzo and Jacob. My father has men who darted around each country in Europe, and I dealt with more than twenty-five men over the span of six years of being his enforcer. But these two were my closest colleagues because I have been to Germany more times than anywhere else.I guide Niko and me towards them, hesitant that I'm with Niko, knowing there is almost certainty that his presence will get back to my father. They stare at Niko with distrust as they pass me an envelope with money, room keys and an invite to a function where I'll find the subject tomorrow evening. I skim the information, memorising what needs to be known befo
LucaI absolutely hate having to turn up to my parents alone without Emma, yet he gave me no choice but to face the damn music that Emma has forced upon me.I've sped the whole way here, hoping by some turn of fate that my car would spin out and wrap itself around a tree trunk to end this stupid existence I seem to have been thrust into, but my luck seems to lack aligning with every other fucking time I've wished my soul away.So here I am, and there he stands, smoking a cigar on the front steps, seemingly waiting for me, his face like thunder and his demeanour not far behind it.It's almost as if I can taste his disappointment and smell his disapproval.Emma's fucked up terribly. I swear he might be second-thinking our marriage by now, but now that my name is signed on that dotted line beside hers... I can't deny my need to keep her firmly beside me, so I'll argue until I'm blue and six feet under if he says otherwise."Father," I drone out despite feeling anything but happy to be st
"Don Moretta," Diablo greets him. "Why am I here?" "We both know why you are in my dungeon; let's not play games. You won't fare well, my dear friend."Diablo swallows loudly, a sign of guilt and trepidation rolling through him."Then ask me the question you need answers to... but don't be surprised if you have to drag them out of me. I'm not loyal to you, Moretta. My leader is Rossi.""Yes, well, there's always opportunities to change sides—isn't there? So tell me, what is your boss up to?""Probably eating dinner, dependant on time, of course," he answers."Don't be smart. Didn't your training teach you anything? Your life depends on my mood, and that's directly affected by your willingness to talk. Or would you prefer to die tonight?""Honestly, if you were going to kill me. That would have happened by now. This tells me I'm more important to keep alive because of the information I could give you. So let's play this game together. You sweeten my betrayal, and I'll give you what yo
EmmaThe minutes dragged by as I bid farewell to Niko after our check-in at the hotel. I chose to stay back in the room while Niko ventured out for the evening, his mysterious errand pulling him away.In hindsight, I regret acquiescing to his request without questioning him. If the situation was truly as precarious as he made it out to be, shouldn't he have also considered the potential risks, given that his own face was just as recognisable as mine?Nevertheless, I seized the opportunity to indulge in some much-needed self-care, making use of the provided toiletries to luxuriate in a long bath, wash my hair, and relish a few uninterrupted moments of solitude.I've come to miss the tranquillity that comes with being alone. It allows me to gather my thoughts and gain insight into recent events and my present circumstances. Living with Luca is bustling and hectic, but perhaps I've grown accustomed to being a lone wolf and need time to readjust to being part of a team again.The warm wat
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
Bianca Our first proper fight after marriage entailed with me opposing Niko's need to protect me from coming along on his mission as Dimitri had stated I should. It was heartwarming, even if I was creating distance where I definitely didn't want it. I won, though, if that's something to be proud of. I dressed in a little black dress supplied by Sven, an extension of Dimitri, that hugged my every curve, while Niko was dressed smartly in a suit. I hung on his arm as we were escorted to a private dining table in a back room that did nothing for my nerves at the most expensive restaurant chain on the mainland. This is evidently where all the mafia eats, though, because soon after our arrival, other guests filled the room, dining with beautiful women and good-looking men. Everyone around us spoke in every language except English. Italian, Russian, and even Lithuanian. I could string a few conversations together with the few words I knew of those languages. Most weren't worth my ef
Continued: He's one hundred percent right. Why the fuck do they have Mitchel's wife? More importantly, what do the Densels want with Alexandra? I mull this over, overthinking every possible avenue today's mission might take me on. Each one gets worse than the last, but something that stays with me is the fact that Alexandra knows her life hangs in the balance, but equally, her husband does, too. She's not been trained like a typical Italian woman heiress would be; she's common—Italian but common. Can she even take the impending abuse obviously headed her way? She knows things, especially being married to one of the highest-ranking men within the Cartel. She must know something that the Densels want, and I don't doubt they will use whatever means possible to extract whatever they need from her before exposing her in a way that has the Cartel and lowly gang members talking. I hate that Bianca is dragged into this mess, especially considering the current bad blood be
Niko Despite knowing Dimitri has cameras following my every move, I still decide to fuck Bianca on the kitchen counter for breakfast. Call it a sign of 'fuck you' to his need to control my every fucking move, or call it stupidity because I've quickly become a lovesick man. Either way, I did it, and I didn't fucking warn Bianca, which goes directly against my new need to keep her firmly my equal, even in the stupidity that is my side job with Dimitri. We need to talk; I need to explain my role in all of this. But right now, it is not the right time or place in his earshot. Of course, after I had her for breakfast, I took her upstairs to clean up because, despite the evidence to the contrary, I wanted to be the perfect gentleman for her. I want to be the husband my father never was, that any man around me never is. I want to break that curse, to give her comfort in me, and to find comfort in her. Could I see us having a perfect family, a little slice of heaven outside of the tr
Continued: "I usually work alone; working with you might be less lonely." "I'd love to work with you, Niko..." "Oh, I'd like to—," whatever he was going to say is cut short by the loud ping of a phone. It makes me jump, and for a moment, I'm totally upset. I had revelled in Niko's sole attention, but now, he has access to the outside world once again. Does that mean I'll lose him to the outside world so soon after connecting with him so deeply? "Ignore that," he whispers against my ear. His hands roam my sides, dipping below his shirt that I had chosen to steal once again. I giggle, and he smirks. His fingertips rub circles against my hip as he presses his groin forward in an expression of what he wants. "Lascia che ti ami." Let me love you, he requests eagerly. I lay back on my arms, widening my legs enough to show him my acceptance as he strokes his cock through his swim shorts. I watch mesmerised; wanton need rushing through me in waves of ecstasy. The tip of his
BiancaI knew the moment I woke, I'd be walking into something I didn't care to be part of, but equally, I knew that I had no choice in the matter if Dimitri deemed it so.His voice floated upstairs, not loud enough to decipher everything that was said between him and Niko but audibly sufficient to know his tone was condescending and simultaneously authoritative. So I dithered, sitting on the top step close enough to hear them talk yet hidden enough that neither heard nor saw me.Niko was essentially being summoned, and I could tell he wasn't happy about it.Even so, I sat there for a long while as they spoke about this job to remain hidden and out of the limelight until things slowly turned in my direction. It's as if I knew I would be the topic of conversation. I was nervous then; Dimitri knew skeletons I wanted to remain hidden, so I couldn't damn well stay hidden.I moved down the stairs as Niko opposed Dimitri's choice to keep Luca in this life with the one-track mind, which was
Continued: It's clear with the clearing of his throat that I'm asking too much; after all, the agreement is to go, get the girl, and sit tight with her until he or Lucia comes to take them to a marginally better life. Still, I need to know if there's a potential threat looming, especially if she was already intercepted. The risk the Ivarnis have enlightened the buyer about her possible saviour might have them wanting to complete the Passover sooner rather than later. "Niko," Dimitri warns. "I need to know who to look out for in case they are also there to pick the girl up. I doubt the Ivarnis are sitting tight about the fact you tried to take her. They'll be looking out for you and your men, Dimitri. I'm associated with you; they know that. Everyone does." Remaining silent, his shoulders stiffen. Did he not already think that over? "She's headed for the Densels," he admits with a snarl. It's my turn to stiffen; of course, she fucking is. They buy many girls off the back of t
Niko We've spent the last two days exhausting ourselves whilst getting to know one another on this new, deeper level that I was second guessing if we would ever get to experience. Even so, I still have a few places I'd like to fuck her before we go home, whenever that may be.The very next morning, in the early hours of the morning, Sven turned up when I was taking a moment to stare out of the window Bianca seemingly loved to daydream in front of. The boat was a spec of darkness moving on the sea at first, but as he neared closer and the sun rose, I could figure out quite quickly that he indeed returned to help us explore the island as promised the night before.Leaving him waiting on the beach, I let Bianca sleep while I readied food for the pair of us. I prepared a platter of fruit for breakfast that I took back upstairs only after I filled a conveniently placed picnic basket in the kitchen cupboard with an array of antipasti we could enjoy.I planned to take her back to the waterf