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
"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
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
"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'
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
"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
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
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
LucaI grab for Emma as she squeals like a teenage girl again. We're running through the gardens outside the house. The breeze whips her hair around me as I turn her around to kiss her as the need overtakes me. Our lips move upon one another in a rush, neither of us being able to let the other go as she giggles, and I groan deep in my throat. This morning is all but forgotten, and I've heard nothing from Niko concerning whether my father has demanded I must do as I'm told regarding the charge of not but one but two men. That didn't slip my notice, Niko's cheeky slip that there was another's death left in my hands upon ridding the most known ruler of one of the biggest New York syndicates.Pierce Addisol is an American gang member turned ruler known for his smuggling and heavy-handed punishments that he metes out without due reasoning.For this reason, he's been on my father's shit list for some time, and though he holds secrets we never want to get out, a truce has always been adhe
"Good morning," Niko interrupts my thoughts."You wanted to see me?" I answer unhappily."Yes, your father has set the ceremony for four nights time. He has requested both yours and Emma's attendance.""You didn't automatically accept?" I ask, sighing as I look at the clock on the wall behind him.It's seven am, and I should be rousing Emma from her post-orgasmic sleep to take her again. Yet, here I am attending this pointless meeting with my number two because of his lack of foresight to accept the invitation to Emma's acceptance ceremony."I did accept, but I must inform you of your last task," Niko grimaces."And what shall that be, praise tell me?""Pierce Addisol, his death is your last commitment before your father agrees to begin the passing of his title.""He wants me to kill the head of the New York syndicate?""He's being trialled for unknown reasons; his death is cleaner than the possibility of his mouth running wild.""And he wants this done within the next three nights?"