Emma's movement snaps me out of the memory. Yes, you could say I've been putting off that dire conversation for fear that our wedding day was ruined before it even happened. "Shall we join them?" Emma asks me, breaking away from our kiss, facing the house and our men training."It's our honeymoon; there's no need to train.""Perhaps I want to, Luca. I enjoy it," she tells me, dropping my hand as she walks towards the house and our men.I smirk, shaking my head that she seems just as unable to turn off that side of her. But in honesty, her need to train has me worried also.What does she think will happen?Why does she need to train anyway? It's not as if her father intends for her to take over the Rossi name, which is just another thing I need to investigate. "Emma!""Yes, Luca?" She turns to face me, continuing to walk backwards effortlessly. "Are you afraid to lose again?""Oh, Bambina, all bets are off now that I own your body. Didn't you know? A woman's body can be traitorous wh
EmmaFour days have passed by in utter bliss, and even as I stare at Luca sleeping beside me this morning, I still feel the need to pinch myself at the thought that, one, we're married, and two, it seems to be blissful.He's stayed in bed with me the last three mornings, sleeping far past his usual six am wake up, and I know I should be honoured that he's taking this time to be with me, but I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. The fear I have is palpable. Being in the mafia makes me cognisant that bliss isn't a thing, and yet here we are blissfully happy with one another.Reaching to stroke his cheek, I can't help but smile. The skin there is prickly with the four-day-old beard growth, which funnily enough suits him, and I've told him as much, and he's agreed to keep it if that's what I want. He's been so amenable that it's unreal, yet I don't fully trust anything he's said and done because all I can ask is, why?Despite our marriage being typically normal, things in the mafia don
"You're a target now, you know this, Emma. I won't allow you to go wherever he wants you to go. I can't lose you, Emma... I love you...""I love you, too," I almost choked. God, I've been craving to hear those little words from his mouth since our wedding night. But I can't let my emotions rule me. "Please love me enough to know this is what's needed of me, and I'll be back. Sooner than you think.""No, get someone else to do it. Fuck, I'll go instead of you, Emma.""This is family business, you're not a Rossi.""Then he should go himself," he mutters angrily. Throwing his hands up in the air as his body language starts to become hostile. He marches away from me as I stand mute and stuck to the spot. He then marches back. His hands are fisted, and his eyes are dark and angry."You're N.O.T. going!""You cannot stop me, Luca. This is my choice; besides, if not me, then it'll be Bianca, and I can't put her through that!" I yell to him in desperation.But even though I'm trying to protec
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
It's been four fucking days of Emma sleeping in Niko's room, and I'm about ready to murder that fucker with anything that comes within a breadth of my fingertips.She's kept her distance, giving me only moments like breakfast and dinner to speak with her. It doesn't help that Bianca, too, is staying away, seemingly choosing sides with Niko and perhaps Emma.Her words of disgust haven't slipped my notice, but then again, I did have her kidnapped—she just doesn't know that I did that to prevent my father from killing her to send that much-needed message to her father.Bianca is disrespecting my home and myself, something I'm only putting up with because she's Emma's sister.Anyway, enough of them. I've decided to take things into my own hands. I need to get Emma away from whispered opinions that might be our undoing. And a business deal came up at the last minute.Call it an excuse to get her out of my compound. Or call it a coincidence that my father called for me to leave as soon as p
LucaEmma is nowhere to be found after seeing my father and mother off the property, but I have no doubt where she's hiding, and I disfavour that deeply.For a long moment, I stand before Niko's door, my hand midair as I contemplate knocking and demand she sleep anywhere but his room. A jealous side of me that lives rent-free inside me has surfaced. After all, before my father turned up with his fake apology, we had been communicating more effectively than ever before.I think about where she could stay—even upstairs in one of the other's rooms while they bunk up would be favourable—but something stops me.Sighing, I step back from the door. I have to start making good decisions, and bowling on there right now to demand Emma come to bed with me will be far too pushy and far too soon.Even I know that. I'm treading in murky waters without recollection of safe ground. I'll have to move carefully and consider each decision—contemplate Emma's reactions to ensure I don't make another wro
Emma"We should leave. It would be best if you didn't stay with him," Bianca notes unhappily as Niko finishes replaying my utterly private conversation in a condensed form that suits him.Luca's parents have just left, and though I feel as if Luca and I had a breakthrough that was much needed and is something I honestly want to explore more, I decided to come back to Niko's room to give myself time to recuperate and also keep the distance that perhaps is the right course of action for the pair of us at the moment.Niko is hissing unhappily in his weapons closet, gathering a few articles of clothing that I presume he intends to change into for bed. The evening is upon us, and despite not having eaten dinner yet—even though I can smell it cooking, I'm ready to fall into a mattress to sleep.Apparently, Niko is done with work today, and he's adamant that he should probably find another room to sleep in.Of course, I told him not to be silly. This is his room, not mine, so it should be Bi
Niko opens the office door. He moves stiffly as he swings the door to reveal my father and mother. Neither says a word to me or looks my way. He just opens his palm to offer my parents into my office in cold silence.Emma instantly begins to move from my lap, so I hold her back, enabling her to turn to face them, silently stipulating that she stays put.This irks both Niko and my father, but I pay no mind to their opinions."Mother... father.""Good evening," my mother greets us, walking in with a delicate smile to sit opposite us.Her gaze wavers as she sees the screwed-up gauze and bullet sitting proudly for her to look at. Her gaze searches for my father with contempt, and it's then I realise my father obviously wasn't as forthcoming with his role in my injury as he should have been."Are you okay?" My mother asks me."Just fine; what are you doing here?" I grit out. I can't quite raise my gaze to my father's but glance at him, moving to stand beside my mother."I'm sorry, son. I s
LucaLeaning forward, I catch Emma's neck and hold her still before me. She's apologising, which irks me, so I tell her so with a deep voice of control."You have nothing to apologise for, bambina.""I hit you," she sighs, running her fingertip over the slight swelling around my eye.She did hit me, and rightly so. I was acting manic; I wasn't allowing her space. I refused to let her leave and all that after I wrongly accused her of cheating which I still need to investigate who exactly sent me those damn fucking images.They say pictures tell a thousand words; well, perhaps they conceal a thousand truths.I can completely accept that she felt backed into a corner, and I'm glad she raised her back to me in a way.The fact she can stand up to me is something our relationship obviously needs, but I don't wish to push her so close to the edge to cause her to strike out.I want to be better; I intend to be better. I don't know how, but I will strive to be the man she deserves—if she lets
The mafia business follows mafia protocols. Luca obviously upset his father enough to provoke this reaction from him. Besides, I'm not sure I want to argue with him after he's lost an evidentially large amount of blood.I pour us both a drink, passing one tumbler to him as he assesses me with hooded eyes. I have no clue what he's thinking right now, and for once, I see the pain etched on his handsome face. The liquid burns my throat as I swallow the tumbler full, but after the last few days, I feel that I need something to steady me and look at his arm.I'm not squeamish, not really, but I was right. After ripping his shirt open, I note his shoulder is a bloody mess with flesh sticking out of a close proximity shot from what I can only presume is a pistol. Blood trickles out the hole and down across his skin as I assess him flexing the hole."You need a doctor; it's still inside—," I note as the gold bullet shines back at me and the blood surrounding it dribbles down onto his peck."
EmmaI woke up from a restless night's sleep to face a new day with a fresh perspective. Throughout the night, I had been nestled between Bianca and Niko on his bed whilst cuddling Bianca, but in the morning, I turned to look at Niko.He was still clearly in pain, his abdomen showing worsening signs with mottled purple hues. Despite the doctor's miraculous revelation that nothing was broken, Niko was seriously bruised, and that coincided with his lack of sleep overnight.I spent some time simply observing his breathing, silently contemplating how to best care for him. And though I lay there promising myself not to think about the events of last night, my mind wandered. Had my behaviour triggered Luca's response just as much as his triggered mine in the kitchen?It feels as if we've been conditioned to tiptoe around one another for fear we'll lose one another again, and I know that my father dislikes that I was called home to fulfil his promise. So, are we exasperating the problems r
"Your mother warned me that you seemed off the other night, but I didn't want to admit that perhaps this takeover has put too much on your shoulders too quickly. But this," he bellows, stabbing his pointer finger into his phone. "This is very, very disappointing.""I'm sure it is, father.""I never raised you to be this type of man," he adds with a fist on the desk."We sell women to the highest fucking bidder; we hurt women every day of our lives. Force them to uproot everything they know, to lose their families and dreams and aspirations to sell them to the next man, one that probably has a weird ass kink that the girl has never even heard of yet a few measly marks on my wife's neck is too much for you to handle?" I scoff. "Oh yeah, besides that, you never taught me to lay my hands on a woman.""We sell women to men that are vetted. They are safe, fed, looked after," he shakes his head. "I have a team checking on each girl that passes through our hands at least once every few months
LucaContemplating my life is not a task I like to take part in. But here I sit, five tumblers deep, as I assess every fuck up I've made since Emma came back to me.I love the girl so profoundly that my behaviour stems from fear of losing her for a second time, yet this time, it is me who is making the decisions; it's me who is pushing her away.I can't believe I hurt her as I did in the kitchen. I can't believe I allowed that insidious side my father nurtured to take over and cause her harm.Her, of all fucking people.Why must I keep making these mistakes?Why can't I treat her as I always did when we were younger?Can she even love me after seeing the monster I've indeed become?These are the things I contemplate in my alcohol-induced haze.Emma never resurfaced from Niko's room, and though I could have barged in when the doctor let himself out, I knew it was the wrong thing to do.So instead, I stood in the darkness of the unlit hall, waiting for her to leave the room, hoping that