TonyChloe blinks at me, too astonished to say anything. What the hell just came over me? Did I just propose to her? Was this really the best plan I could put together? A sneer escapes her lips, and I narrow my eyes at her."Did you hit your head on your way over here or what? Of course we're not getting married," she counters, her voice not sounding very convincing. It seems like she is trying to convince herself other than me."Yes, we are," I affirm. "Think about it…it's the best way to keep Mateo away. As my wife, you'd not only have the protection of the Saints, but of my allies as well," I reiterate, hoping to sound more persuasive. "I don't need to be your wife for that, we can just pretend we're dating," Chloe retorts, crossing her arms in front of her chest, her brows rising in defiance.I offer her a smile. "As sweet as it may sound, girlfriends don't carry that much weight to men like us," I explain. "None of the guys from the Irish Kings or the Triads in Chinatown, for
ChloeThe first rays of sunshine come through my window and I grumble, turning on my side so I'm not blinded by the light. I frown, my eyes still closed, and I feel sleepiness embracing me again. But then I hear a scream coming from downstairs and I sit up in a flash. My brain takes a few seconds to make sense of what I'm hearing, but when it does, I frown.Is my mother yelling at someone? She'd know better than to do that when Ellie is probably still asleep. What time is it anyway? I look to the side and grab my phone on my nightstand, seeing it's still 6:25 A.M. "What is he thinking?" My mom's muffled voice continues.I throw off the blanket and swing my legs out of bed. Something bad must have happened for her to be screaming like this so early in the morning.Before I check what's going on, I stop by Ellie's room at the end of the hallway to make sure she's all right. I open the door a crack and peep inside, finding her sleeping like an angel in her crib. I let out a sigh of rel
TonyI check my watch for the fifth time in less than ten minutes, too anxious to pretend otherwise. Where the fuck are they? I told Armando they should be here before eight in the morning. The courthouse will open to the public after that and my plan will be damned. I'm in the backseat of one of my blacked out SUVs, this time not my own, in front of the hotel where Chloe is getting ready. I look out the window, noticing a few guests stepping out of the hotel entrance, but there's still no sign of Chloe or Armando."Shit, what is taking them so long?" I hiss to myself."Should I go and check, Boss?" Franco offers in response from the driver's seat. He's been my driver for the past four years, and he's as reliable, discreet, and tight-lipped as I need him to be. He is so quiet that I had almost forgotten he was here. That's when I see Armando stepping out, leading Chloe toward us. I'm fucking mesmerized by the sight, so focused on her that I forget I know how to speak for a moment. S
ChloeI remain silent the entire time as we leave the courthouse. I have no idea where Tony is taking me now, but just as before, I simply know he won't tell me a thing if I ask, so I keep my curiosity to myself. Besides, I don't trust myself to speak now. I have so many conflicted feelings going on inside my head and heart right now, that I just can't express how I feel.I'm aware of Tony's strong presence next to me the entire time, and I can't help but feel tense and uneasy. This shouldn't be like this. This is not what I wanted…not like this anyway. But like everything else in my life, I didn't have much of a choice either.I must confess I wasn't expecting him to be as kind as to give me such a beautiful ring. Sure, it's all for appearances, but the piece he picked is so…me. Simple but classy, sparkly but discreet. He knows my style and what I like. And it fits my finger perfectly. What he said to me in the courthouse about our night together two years ago got me blushing so h
ChloeTony's mansion is beautiful. I'm in awe as I stare out the window of the car. We cross the tall iron gates out front and clean brick walls with big windows and sharp-looking hedges welcome us. The house is massive, towering pillars leading the way to the front door. It feels almost intimidating.Franco parks the car and opens the passenger door for me, offering his hand to help me out."Are you okay to go in by yourself, Mrs. Bellini?" he asks. I'm caught off guard by him calling me by Tony's last name, and I blink a couple of times, simply staring at him. "Mrs.?" he calls again, eyeing me expectantly."Yes, sure. Don't worry, Franco. Thank you," I finally reply.He types a password into a digital keypad, making sure I see the code as well. Then he swings the door open and steps aside, making way for me to pass. I walk into the grand foyer and my jaw drops to the floor. I've been to mansions before, but this one is simply magnificent. "Will be right out here if you need anythin
TonyWhen I finally park my car in my driveway, I turn it off and lean back, exhaling sharply and closing my eyes for a minute. This has been a fucking busy and long day. After I parted ways from Chloe this morning, I had my men spread the word to every syndicate in New York about the head of the Saints being a married man, hoping the news will trickle down the eastern seaboard, all the way to Miami. I want Mateo to fucking know Chloe is mine now.I must confess it kind of makes my blood pump faster with adrenaline at the thought of seeing the cartel's reaction to this. It also makes my skin crawl when I think about how Miami was never an easy place to deal with, and I know what Mateo is capable of. But there isn't much he can do from so far away, and I'm not playing lightly either. Not when he's messing with Chloe.If anything, I want to be the one to make him pay for all the atrocities he's made her suffer. The bruises I saw on her arms still haunt me in my sleep. The fear in her e
ChloeThe following week is busier than I expected, however I managed to set up a new routine for both me and Ellie. As a toddler, it'd be bad for her not to have some sort of routine, and I am glad I got to give her a sense of normalcy after a few bustling days in the city. I am happy to have my mother's support during all of this, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do by myself. I am definitely not ready to put Ellie in a school or a daycare center yet, especially knowing Mateo is still lurking around.The mafia wife duties aren't easy either, and they sure consume a lot of my time. Every day I leave dinner ready for when Tony gets home from work, knowing he wouldn't prepare himself anything after midnight. It’s also a guilty pleasure of mine. The way he seemed to have loved my food the first day I prepared it made my heart warm and beat frantically in my chest. I sort of want to do that for him. After what he did to protect me and Ellie, it is the least I can do. Having to keep up
TonyAs much as I hate to admit, the married man's life isn't as hard as I imagined it would be. Not for the reasons I expected anyway. Sure, it fucking kills me to have Chloe living under the same roof as me and not being able to touch her, or get close to her whatsoever, but her presence–and Ellie's for that matter–is like a balm to the soul. One I didn't realize I needed.Not to mention the delicious food Chloe leaves prepared for me every night. She doesn't have to, and I made sure to tell her that, but she makes it anyway. I can't say I don't like it though. She might not be doing it because she wants to make me feel good or anything, but my ego is not that big to refuse a nice meal after a hard day of work.Today is one of those days, and my mouth is watering just by thinking of what I might find when I get home.I'm currently in my office at the deli, surrounded by Armando and some of my men who seem to have nothing better to do than smoke cigars and play poker on my coffee tab
*Tatiana*My eyes don’t move as I watch my kidnapper’s face contort in confusion at what I just said. It was a gamble, but it was my last shot since I came to terms with not being able to escape from this place unharmed–if not fucking dead as a doornail.I doubted it would work at first, but I seem to have hit a sensitive topic when I offered to help him with information about Oleg. It’s not like I have much on him anyway, since I was barely ever in the same room as him while I was his prisoner, but if it’s Oleg that he’s after, I’m more than happy to help him with his vendetta.My determination seems to do its job because my kidnapper climbs off me and extends his hand to me. I hesitate, staring at his large hand while wondering what the hell might have made him change his mind.Maybe he’s playing games with me, pretending to believe me so he can tie me to that chair again.“Come on, I won’t tie you up again.” Is he a fucking mindreader? His brows shoot up as he waits for me to grab
*Angelo*This goddamn woman is not only beautiful but also clever as fuck. She definitely knows how to use her appearance and charm to her advantage, blinking those beautiful eyes at me. Even in a T-shirt and jeans, she looks sexy as hell. She doesn’t need to wear anything seductive or whisper dirty words in my ear. Just being under her gaze is enough for my dick to start twitching inside my pants. Fuck!I don’t know why the hell I fell for that, believing she actually needed to go to the bathroom. Maybe, deep down, there’s still some good left in my corroded heart. Or maybe I just didn’t want to believe that she’d be able to trick me. But she almost broke free from me, which would’ve been fucking embarrassing when the guys outside had to bring her back to me, seeing me rolling around on the floor with my smashed up cock in one hand. Needless to say, the pain she caused me made my blood boil. But even so, I can’t force myself to strike her. Not yet. Instead, I pinned her to the floo
*Tatiana*Okay, fuck, that does sound like a genuine threat. He’s definitely not new to any of this, and he’s used to stubborn people like me. He’s probably faced worse in his years in the mafia, assuming he’s from another syndicate. Judging by the way his eyes are hungry for information, I doubt he’s just a normal person Oleg owes money to or had a bad business deal with.Lev taught me how to hold on during an interrogation as long as I could in several of our lessons in the past, but he never really tortured me while doing so. How am I supposed to act when the real deal is actually happening? I thought I was prepared for this, but maybe I’m not?Am I ready for this man to cut my skin, hold my head under water, pull my nails out of my fingers, and all the dreadful things these people are known for doing? How long until I break?Panic creeps through me again, and I realize I need a plan B before I lose the grip on my self-control and have to start pleading for my life. I don’t wanna
*Tatiana*I feel like I must’ve gotten run over by a truck. My head is pounding so hard, I feel like vomiting, but even so, I force my eyes to open. There’s no light here except for a dim stream coming through a tiny window near the top of the wall in front of me, so it’s difficult for my eyes to adapt.There are strands of hair in front of my eyes and face, and when I lift my hand to push them aside, I realize my wrists are tied behind my back in what feels like a very thick, tight rope. My legs are also strapped to the chair, both my ankles tied. I can barely move.Panic starts creeping through me as I realize what’s going on. Images of the recent events flash through my mind, making me remember how I ended up here, wherever I am.I look from one side to the other, taking in my surroundings. Even though it’s dark and humid here, I spot some tools and boxes that make me think this has to be a basement. The place is quiet, and there seems to be no one around, although I doubt they’d l
*Angelo*“I’ve got her,” I inform the rest of my men who are all wearing earpieces. “I’m taking her to the car.”“Roger that,” Dice replies right away. “We’ll meet you there.”I toss the woman’s limp body over my shoulder and step out of the alley, ignoring the curious and frightened stares I receive from pedestrians bustling by on the street.The SUV is parked in front of the deli, and when Sal spots me, he climbs from behind the wheel and rushes to open the back door for me. I place the woman in the back seat—carefully, even though I don’t need to be—and go around to the other side so I can sit beside her. I buckle us both in and wait for the others to load up.Even though I knocked her out, and she probably won’t wake up in the next few hours, I still need to keep a close eye on her, just in case she wakes up and tries some funny business. I’ll watch her the entire way until we’re out of this part of the city and safe in our territory where we’re less likely to be attacked.“That w
*Tatiana*Getting someone to help me proves to be an almost impossible task, even once I wander into a populated area of New York City.I know literally no one in this city, and it’s not like I can trust anyone. While I’m fairly certain my adoptive parents had allies here, I have no fucking idea who they are or how to find them. Oleg must have eyes and ears everywhere, so it makes me hesitant to approach anyone.But in this dress, I’m an easy target for anyone who might be helping him. New York is a crazy place, but I’m probably the only woman in a bloody, ripped-up wedding gown on the streets today. If the mob doesn’t get to me, the police certainly will.My stomach is beginning to ache from the knot that formed in there weeks ago, but I force myself to take deep breaths. At least I’m able to hold back my tears–for now. My whole life turned upside down in a blink of an eye, and having to suppress my feelings so I don’t show my weakness to Oleg and Yakov has taken its toll on me.Pic
TatianaHow the hell am I supposed to escape this place when I have no fucking idea where I am? Running toward the back of the chapel seemed to make the most sense to me since the fighting is all happening at the front–at least for now–so I sprint toward the door the priest likely used and pray it’s unlocked.Thankfully, it is. I slam through it, looking around to ascertain if there’s any danger here. I see the priest huddled in the corner and almost roll my eyes. Hiking my skirt up, I take off toward a door I believe has to be an exit.“You shouldn’t go that!” he shouts. “They’re out there, too!”But my momentum carries me through the door before I can think, and I nearly run into a couple of Oleg’s men who are defending the back entryway against what appears to be another syndicate, one of the many groups of enemies Oleg has accumulated over the years, no doubt.“How the fuck did they find us?” one of the men in front of me shouts to the other in a thick Russian accent. I just have
*Tatiana*A tacky, overly poofy white gown hangs on the back of the bathroom door next to the full-length mirror. I take a deep breath and drag a hand down my face. How the fuck am I getting out of this?I hoped I’d have more time to escape, but this day has come more quickly than anticipated, and now, here I am. The fuckers got me to the church on time.“What do you think?” one of the maids who will be helping me get dressed asks, a timid smile on her face.Arching an eyebrow, I say, “I think I’d be better suited to black.”She laughs nervously and pulls the fancy frock down off the hanger. I have to assume this contraption cost thousands of dollars and was designed by one of New York’s biggest names in fashion.It’s a death trap to me.It would look so much better with a spray of vomit across the front.Telling myself I need to focus, I listen to the maids prattle on about how they’re going to do my hair and makeup and other such bullshit I couldn’t care less about.“This dress is m
*Tatiana*I spend most of my time in “my” room. Images of my parents bleeding out fill my mind, whether I’m awake or asleep. Even sitting by the window, staring out at the serene garden behind the mansion, I can’t shake the overwhelming sadness and revulsion that fills my body with every shuddering breath I inhale.No one comes into my room except for the maids–and that’s a good thing. When I have to see Oleg again, it will be all I can do to keep from lunging at him and trying to take him out right now. I will kill him–but I can’t be impulsive, or I’ll spoil my chance. Something tells me he won’t hesitate to kill me if he feels it’s necessary, regardless of all of his plans for me.No, I need to bide my time. Lie in wait. Strike when the timing is right.When I’m not picturing my parents’ pale bodies sitting in those chairs, I imagine what it will be like to kill him. That’s the only time I allow myself a bit of happiness, a small smile, when I think about what it will be like to hav