Continued: Her words make me scramble away from her. Words have never harmed me as much as hers have. How dare she forgive me? Red-hot anger burns up inside of me, bubbling in my stomach, making everything except for her disappear. How can she forgive me for killing our parents, for nearly having her killed? For faking her baby and its sudden disappearancejustto play with her emotionally. Anger radiates out of me as a swift kick to her gut. It hurts the top of my foot, but I put everything I have into harming her, and I must be successful because she stumbles back, hissing as she does. "No. How can you?" I scream at her painfully. "Because I can," she repeats herself with a steady tone as if talking to a child asking for a cookie for the tenth time despite being told no nine times. She stumbles again, pressing her whole weight into Niko, making him stumble also. He looks at me with a frown and a back-off fucking glare as Emma whimpers. My anger is gone as I concent
Niko Our wedding is almost upon us, and as I sit here contemplating my life and its future, I've realised one thing. I want Bianca. How long that'll last or whether the need will ebb away almost as soon as she gives in and allows herself to belong to me is still up for debate, but in the now, I want her. I wish I didn't; I wish I couldn't see a future where we grow old and grey beside one another with children to dote on in the goodtimesand a shoulder to lean on in the bad, but I do. And that's precisely why I ordered a pamper day for Bianca. We will marry tomorrow. Today, I treat her like my wife-to-be despite being cognisant that she might become the enemy again in the future. That said, I still have work to do and tasks to complete. Unlike Luca, I won't get an extended time off just because I am married. So I ensure to wake early, leaving Bianca in the hands of the girls from the spa in town to tend to such work. I've accepted the late shipment of weapons, redistributed the
Continued: Suddenly, girls invade the space, barely dressed in anything but lingerie and holding trays of drinks and food for me to choose from. Gingerly, I take a beer, popping the cap before placing it back on the girl's tray. I barely register what she looks like, keeping my eyes away from her. The second comes up on my left, offering food that I decline without glancing her way. "So it's true then, you're whipped by the Rossi spare?" Ivan asks. I hadn't noticed him re-entering the room, but I'm glad for the buffer he offers between myself and the girls he obviously sent in here to test me. Clearing my throat, I nod. Sitting forward to make eye contact with him as he sits opposite me. "Yes," is all I reply, happy to have some confirmation that Emma's true identity remains hidden as we wish. "Well, now I see why you want my biggest diamonds," he grins. Sitting opposite me on the desk that's obviously his, he places a singular tray before me with six rings spaced evenly. Ea
Bianca The direction of my life dives down a major wrong turn this evening as I'm forced to practise being married to the man who's driving me up the wall. Emma, Luca, Niko and I are in the car with Mass, the fucking brute, driving us to Dimtri's home to fake our way through our wedding rehearsal. Honestly, I have no clue why I'm attending this godforsaken fakery because I've barely put effort into this wedding. Truly, if it weren't for Anna, there wouldn't be a wedding to attend. I have yet to try on the dress Anna measured me for. Ignoring the event for the last few weeks made it feel like this was a terrible dream that consciousness would break me away from. But here I am, sitting in the car, heading to attend the rehearsal of my nightmares. I had hoped to win Niko over by now, enlisting his help to escape Dimitri's demands, but all he seemed to do was work himself into my panties. "I'm not sure I'll last," Emma announces out of nowhere. Her voice wavers, her worry very ev
Continued: We all look from him to Emma expectantly. "We wanted to wait, father—," Luca admits sheepishly, bringing any chatter we were pretending to have to a halt. "Information is key, boy. Needn't you think we should protect the pair of them tomorrow when my house is full of biggest enemies?" Dimitri uses a gravelly tone. "I have it sorted," Luca spits back. "What Luca is saying is we've thought of every possibility, put contingencies in place, and know each exit route like the back of our hand. We're prepared to protect our future," Emma adds as Dimitri's face changes into pure rage; he's disappointed in Luca; it's evident to see. "Excellent, Emma. But what about your food and drinks? Toilet breaks? The drive home?" he counters her, his tone calmer than I expected. "I won't be alone. Mass will stay with me all night whether I'm with Luca or not—toilet or not. I'll bring a bottle of water from our home and nurse that all evening; I will not place it down. I also have Ange
Niko Last night, I slept on one of the armchairs in Luca's office, a blanket laid across my lap. I smoked a joint while looking out at the moon shining high above the rolling green hills that are our gardens. I'm not usually one to follow traditions, but I wanted to allow Bianca to have time alone before today's shit show of a wedding. I hung on her every fucking lie last night about the planning process of our wedding, she described something that meant something to her, and for a moment, I had lost myself in the lie that we were doing this because I had asked for her hand in marriage. But I hadn't. I have been forced to marry her to keep her quiet. These last few weeks have been infuriating and enlightening. Sexually charged and equally depressing. But I plan to enjoy the fake show I'm about to put on for every damn mafia king set to step foot inside Dimitri's home. It is safe to say sleep succumbed to me only in the early hours of the morning, leaving me grumpy as fuck and
Continued: The ceremony is happening in the outdoor permanent pavilion, which looks like a small house with no rooms. Today, there are rows and rows of seats side by side, with a gap between them, creating an aisle for Binanca to walk to me. It's at the end of that aisle where I stand, Luca beside me, as I greet every man and woman who smile reluctantly and greet me before taking their seat. I'm dressed to the nines in a black tuxedo that pinches at every place I bend, and yet it's the smartest thing I've ever put on. When Emma appears, dressed in a silver floor-length gown that hugs her every curve, I know my time as a single man is almost up. It's then I turn to Luca, producing the box from the jewellers that is worth more millions than I'd like to remember spending. I need his permission to use them, considering his father arranged separate rings. "What's this?" he asks with curiosity. I know for a fact that his father gave him the heirlooms from his grandparents and great-gra
Bianca I have dragged my feet at every opportunity since my eyes flung open at silly o'clock this morning, but the time came that Emma and her men drove me to my death sentence. I haven't seen Niko since the meal yesterday evening, and I've had to put up with a team of people pruning and making me over to get me ready for this sham of a fucking wedding all morning. I'm in a foul mood, and I look fucking ridiculous with far too much skin on show for someone who hates being the centre of attention. The wedding dress in question is a delicate white A-line dress featuring a plunging beaded bodice with spaghetti straps, a tulle skirt underlaid, and a sparking underskirt featuring blood-red tulle scalloping the edge. I think Anna asked for red because I joked that it was my favourite colour and that if I chose alone, the whole dress would be red. If I were any average human, I would thank her for trying to make this day memorable for me, but I'm not normal, and I'm not a decent
BiancaSo we're in hiding, great, except for the fact that there's no food or much water and only one bedroom come living area, leaving us with the only option but to share space with one another.That first hour was filled with tense silence. We sat in a circle, staring at one another as we judged each other.I guess none of us had a clue of what to say, leaving the only sounds coming from Alexandra as she hissed annoyance at being tied to another chair while simultaneously trying to release herself. She couldn't, of course. Sven ensured she wasn't able to breathe, let alone escape. Soon, though, the trivia of being trapped down here had me wandering around the space as I paced back and forth in an attempt to kill my anxiety. And my movement had first Sven agitated and then Alexandra."You'll have to surface at some point; they'll be waiting," she tells me. Or at least she looks to me as she speaks. It's as if she's solely talking to me, yet she never actually addressed me. Anxiet
Continued:"No, I'm here. Right where I should be. I'm here for you, Bianca. Only you.""You can't heal these ugly parts of me," she tells me desperately, but I hear more than her telling me something. I listen to her convincing herself she can't be healed. She's so wrong."I don't care; I accept them. I accept all of you, Bee.""Why?" she asks in a quiet and frightened tone. Her disbelief is flavoursome, and I hate it. I think long and hard about my answer, but it comes down to one thing. "Because I can," I tell her with a look that I hope transpires everything I'm not saying.Because I love you should have been the words that left my mouth, but it's the wrong time to say such things, especially when the feeling is so new and appeared so quickly that even I'm tripping over this emotion I've run from all my life."I'm ugly, horribly ugly inside, Niko.""And I'll love those ugly parts just the same; now, do you want to talk about it or save that conversation for later?"She looks ast
NikoSven and I meticulously strip what little clothing Alexandra had on, but we find nothing that could account for a tracking device.Even so, we check every crevice of her body and still come up empty-handed before replacing the clothing to give her some sense of decency. If I'm honest, I tackle the task with indifference, but in honesty, I feel sick to my stomach doing such a task. At first, she shook like a leaf, but her true identity showed itself when her quivering lip turned into a malicious smile when we realised she didn't have an evident tracking device."Perhaps you should look elsewhere," she sneered at me with enough malice to prove she's gone entirely fucking rogue. This is not the woman I remember; she sure isn't the loved-up woman who followed Mitchels every word. "I should kill you now, leave your dead body for them to find. Perhaps that would leave the message that I'm not to be played with," I hiss back with equal fervour, but I knew I was only playing into her g
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