A girl walks along the hallway half-dressed, being escorted by a man in black as they appear every so often in the windows. But Niko's appearance, who walks outside in nothing but a pair of lowly hung lounge pants, his body bronzed like any Italian god, that intrigues me. His chest chiseled to perfection, a deep v running down into those pants. My eyes rise back up to his face; his usually sleeked-back hair now acts as a curtain to either side of his face. A cigarette hangs from his lips as his bellows smoke into the air above him.Heat lances through me at the sight of him, and I don't allow the deep-seated emotions for Luca to pass judgment that I find his most trusted man hot."I see you, little spy," he whispers, barely audible for me to hear, yet I see his eyes seek me out, our gazes clashing in a way they shouldn't.Heat unfurls in my core, and for a long and adulterous moment, I allow my mind to imagine him fucking me out here in the tree line.I have only one memory to go off
LucaTravelling to France is usually more for pleasure than business, but here I lay on the mountainside with my target in his rather large abode, ready to kill him. So now it's being tinted by blood thirst instead of awe.I'd been watching all day, and he hadn't exited the house alone as Niko had suggested he might. This means I am running out of patience, and I barely have any to begin with.Do I just shoot through the window of his apparent office that he's failed to leave, or do I wait it out another day in the hopes of a clean shot that will no doubt kill?Kill.That's the demand that flung through my father's lips. So that decides it; I'll have to wait him out.One of my men army crawls beside me, Luke, with his sniper; he sets it on the floor and starts to look through the scope as I side-eye him once.He's middle-aged and has toured more times than usual, with his count being thirteen. He's the best shot in my men besides myself, so I see why they sent him.The team must be g
"Job done?" Mass, my number three, jumps to attention as he throws his half-smoked cigarette to the floor before grinding his foot on it with a huge smile as if already knowing the answer."Job done; let's get home to the others," I nod, slinging my gun inside the boot and grabbing a bottle of water because I'm more than parched after laying out under the beating sun."Good, Niko has been hounding me since sunrise this morning. Apparently, that woman of yours virtually killed our morning men from the tree line of the garden," he grimaces even though a smile still tugs at his lips as if he likes the idea of her being able to do such a thing."Virtually?" I ask."Paint gun, apparently. Red paint, too; she's quite something. Isn't she boss?"My jaw clamps, and my teeth grind; I don't appreciate how my men look at my soon-to-be wife."So let me get this straight?" I ask, leaning against the seat I've chosen in the back. "Emma shot all of the men on the morning rotation with a paint gun, a
EmmaBirds fly through the sky together, a swarm of black dots high above the tall wall surrounding the property as they dance a unique pattern in the sky. I swallow lightly; the cooled water warmed as I held it in my mouth.And though I feel freer here than I have over the last six years, that small part of me wants to fly up there as free as any bird as I wished for so many years.I've trained all day, only taking a break when Niko demanded I eat and drink at just after two pm for fear I would fall to the ground due to low blood sugar or dehydration on his watch. The honesty of the matter is that I needed a distraction, and sparring with Luca's men was the distraction of a century. Only because I'm better than them, and that brings me a thrill like no other. I'm sure if they started putting me on my arse, then I wouldn't crave to show them up any second I could.He's been there all day, too, standing at the French doors that lead into the garden. The patio beneath his bare feet, t
I shiver into his chest, clinging to his naked skin as he walks me into the house, taking me through to his office, kicking the door shut behind him with a few choice swear words. I'm staring blankly as he opens another door inside his office—a bedroom I hadn't known about coming into full view.It's sparsely decorated, with a large bed covered in blue silk bedding, two bedside tables to either side and one dresser with a TV on the wall opposite the bed.Niko places me down on my feet, his hand immediately coming up to my cheek; he holds me there before him, his eyes never leaving my own as his thumb strokes along my wet cheek."I'm sorry, bambina. I shouldn't have left my post," he whispers, his thumb stroking away a stray tear falling down my cheek. His thumb catches it, and he brings it to his mouth to lick as I watch with parted lips, and my breath hitched in my throat.Something transpires between us, but my mind is so frayed I can't explain exactly what it is that I'm feeling
LucaThey say there's a fine line between love and hate: you cannot live with one without the other. You can only walk one line with the other mimicking parallel.In some instances, you have to make those who love you hate you. And vice versa, those who hate you love you, and I wholly believe that.But there's a fine line between rage and freight that interconnects with the love and hate you feel for someone. The rage that comes from the anguish of actions made by others toward a person of interest is one of the most potent emotions to arise from loving or hating someone. That's how I feel sitting in the SUV.We've just landed; it's not much after midnight, and I should be happy to be back in England, yet I'm so livid that my vision is pulsating with red. The haze threatens to take me under its spell as I plan the demise of every man left within my compound.I can't blame the team I took with me, but the two who arrived in the SUVs to take us home were in the compound when the event
Emma's lying in his bed, surrounded by his bedding, the room smelling just like him; I press my nose to her ear, sniffing her face, which, if I'm not mistaken, has his smell along with cigarette smoke.He touched her, and that realisation has me reeling.Reeling because the anger doesn't come as I thought it might. I moan aloud at the confusion. I hate that she's here, but I also love that she's surrounded by my number two, my best friend.The sudden urge to share her with him takes me for six, knocking me over figuratively because I never thought of doing that with her. But now that my mind is made up, I know the endless possibilities of fun we could have between business deals.Fuck..."I'm sorry, bambina," I whisper before straightening up. What am I going to do?Well, I'll deal with Aldo. And then I'll plan her derailment the second I have her on our wedding night. She doesn't know what's coming, but I won't alarm her. I'll keep my desires a secret; that's the best way forward.
Emma "Luca," I whisper as he leans over me; there's that weird smell of something I do not wish to recall, the past calling me down memory lane, but I push it aside, sighing as I open my eyes into the unfamiliar room that knocks me sideways as the memories of last night come crashing through my mind like a freight train.I breathe, smelling as I note Niko's manly aftershave surrounding me as if it's enveloping me like a second skin."I'm so sorry, bambina... have you rested enough?" Luca asks, his palm cupping my cheek tenderly as if he thinks I might suddenly break before him.Maybe I will, but I won't allow him to see that, especially not because of the way he's looking at me.I nod, my throat raw and sore; it's then I know I've been crying in my sleep, my cheeks suddenly feeling wet and sticky. Strands of hair clutch to the moisture as if they've lived in the Sahara and require the water my eyes have expelled."I need you to get up, bambina; I don't think I can hold on to my anger
NikoJust to annoy Luca for interrupting whatever was happening between Bianca and me back in my room, I ride in the car with them down to the docks like a fucking gooseberry. The silence is a killer at first; it makes me regret ever climbing up front and not taking my car where I could swear aloud to expel this energy suddenly building inside me. We pulled up inside the docks forty minutes later, and I assessed Emma from the rearview.She says she wants to take over, but I doubt her decision is based on an educated one.But then again, it's not like I know her as I know Luca. I head in promptly, needing to take a few minutes to gather myself whilst I collect the paperwork from one of the men. And then I walk through to the back room in their wake. The first thing I see is the women, each fitting the same profile. Young. Blonde. Curvy. The ideal perfection for certain men. It's obvious the man has a type, and as I look down at the paperwork stuffed on a clipboard before me, I no
Continued: I kick out at him, my foot contacting his ribs even though he moves. Dropping my leg, I run at him, using the heel of my hand to drive into his gut."Bitch," he hisses at me."Pussy!" I laugh.He drops all pretence of refusing to take me on after that. It seems like every other man on this earth, a woman's name-calling easily triggers him.Swinging his right arm, he thought he would easily put me down, but I danced around him, lithe on my feet, cackling a so go. "That's really your game, Elio? One puny punch, and you think you'll win?" I punch his side. Kick behind his knee. He almost goes down but finds his footing just in time. It irks me; I hate it when men stay stoic to save face.Dancing again, tiptoeing around him at speed, I punch his throat, winding him. He gasps, and I chuckle lightly. I'm having fun for the first time in I don't know how many days. "That was just the start," he squeaks at me. Swiping my feet from beneath me. I fall, hurting my knee, but I bite
Bianca Niko didn't come to bed last night, nor did he find his clothes dumped haphazardly all over the bed as I had hoped. But that was yesterday, and I've woken up with a new perspective today. And that is, I shouldn't be pushing away the one person placed here to protect me. When I woke, I felt terrible, but only enough to fold them all and pile them against the wall on his side of the bed. After leaving his room, I hoped I'd find Niko in his office or perhaps the kitchen, where I found Anna making breakfast. She smiles warmly, greeting me with a quick hello before she pushes the tray she intended to bring to me. I study it and then look at her with confusion. "Thank you," Anna. "No problem." "Where's Niko?" I ask shyly. "Attending to business, I believe. Luca, Emma, and he will be leaving for work soon." "Oh! Okay then." "It's okay, Bianca. Time heals all wounds. Emma will find it in herself to forgive you..." she tells me stoically. I'm not sure I asked for her opinion
Continued: "I don't know what you're referring to, Father. Special?Fine, an hour. Emma and I will be there. No chance, Father. You placed her number one enemy inside my compound. She comes," he hisses through clenched teeth. I close the door to his office, standing inside with him. My spliff hangs from my mouth, and I inhale as much as I can while holding my breath. "I'm not leaving it up for chance," he sighs as I take a seat. I'm not sure what to do while he argues with his father, but as soon as I relax back, the door handle rattles, and there Emma stands in nothing but lingerie. I avert my gaze, but not before I get enough of an eyeful that it makes me feel sick. "One hour," Luca states, obviously finished with his father. His attention immediately goes to Emma, his nose flaring as he takes in her state of undress. I'm almost one hundred percent sure that if I hadn't have been sat here, he would have jumped her bones. "Morning," Emma greets us both. "Good morning, Bambina.
Continued: "I'm scared to know she's lying in a bed not far away from your collection of guns," she states. "I'll move them," I nod. I hadn't thought about this, but she's right. Bianca will be trained to some extent. To what? I don't know, but having my guns at her fingertips probably isn't the best of ideas. "What if...What if she continues with this tirade of wanting him?" "Soon, she'll be my wife. I won't let her take him from you, not that he deserves you." "I'm sorry you've been brought into this mess," she sighs. "Could be worse; I could be marrying a girl I have no fucking interest in." "You like her?" She perks up. "I did before she hurt you. Perhaps that'll come back, perhaps it won't. Either way, she belongs to me now, and I won't leave room for childish behaviour. She'll grow up real fucking fast. You don't need to worry, Queen." "You're not planning on fighting Dimitri over this?" I wish I could... "I owe him, and we need her to keep things secret. I
Niko I stay away from my bedroom for as long as possible, but duty calls and my laptop is in my office. So I entered quietly, hoping by some grace of God that Bianca had fallen asleep after our sexually charged encounter in the kitchen. Not that I told her to go to my room, but there's nowhere else for her to sleep here. Her smell was enticing, and I hadn't forgotten what it felt like to sleep beside her warmth in my bed. The emotions are conflicting, yet I'm still leaning towards being annoyed for having her—particularly as my wife. Luckily for me, though she probably wasn't asleep, she shut the bedroom door, leaving me to roam my office as needed without her knowledge. There are a few shipments due for arrival, and I must make the calls to see whether they've arrived at their destination. These are shipments of girls and drugs, just a wonderful part of my unwanted fucking job. But as they say here in the mafia, exclude yourself from the job, put on a brave face and fake your way
Bianca I storm through the kitchen into the hall and down to Niko's room, teetering on the edge of the boundary line his office door poses. I don't want to go inside, but I also don't want to go and find one of Luca's men to ask if there's a spare room in this godforsaken house for me to take respite in. He angered me so much with his words but even more so because his nostril flared with need whilst his eyes looked between my legs with that look of sexual frustration that nearly enough every man I've encountered since I turned thirteen and sprouted breasts for them to fantasise over has given me. It's sickening, and what's worse is my father condoned their sexual desire. Why does he have to look to me with sexual need like that? Why can't we just be friends? Friends with a mutual desire to get out of the nasty situation we have found ourselves in. I'm not stupid; I know he's a victim of Don Dimitri, too. I might be young, but I see things for what they are and that every
Continued: I watch him enter his car, his driver instantly starting it up and turning in the drive. Watching him disappear with my sanity, I light the joint in my left pocket, dumping the ordinary cigarette back in my right. The drug's high is short-lived, though, because I find Bianca hurtling into my body at speed. Luca throws her quite literally at me, and I decide not to help her stop, her head bouncing off my sternum as I hold my arms wide in a stance that screams get off me. "I need to care for my wife..." Luca tells me viciously. It's obvious he's making a point to show his dislike for this situation, yet he was the only one with a forewarning, so surely he's had time to get used to her coming back after only leaving a few days ago. It's also a power play, Luca's way of staking a claim that she is not his problem, that she falls down to me. "Keep her under control and stay away from my wing. If you don't, there will be consequences," he tells us, but I know that's s
Continued: "No. The deal with the Densels is off. You'll marry Niko here. The pair of you match well and Luca can keep an eye on you. But—" A sound somewhere between life and death leaves my throat, and he cuts off my attempt to decline him. "You will not have a second chance," he addresses Bianca. "I am giving you the chance to live. Fucking take it without complaints. Do as you are told; keep my and your sister's secrets silent. Work alongside my son to enable the pair of them to take over as planned, and I'll have no reason to kill you. But step out of line and know I give no mercy." His tone is menacing, and he's stepped five steps closer to emphasise his control. Even for me, it's nerve-wracking, but I never agreed to this. “I'm not marrying her," I finally interrupt him as he stands close to Bianca. Standing, I fist my hands to prevent myself from grabbing my blade and swinging it at Bianca's back. Looking to Luca and then Emma, I try to assess whether they knew this was t