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It Can't Be Me
Last Updated:
2024-09-09 07:10:07
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Indebted to the Mafia King Repercussions
DanteI sit in an armchair I dragged into the master bedroom in my safehouse upstate, watching Dr. Fletcher and his nurse tend to El. She looks so small in the bed, the hollows of her cheeks sunken and her hair lank. Not seriously injured, the EMT said. Still, I’m thrilled I had enough time to hire Fletcher and the nurse before the raid. They’re discreet, professional, and fast. They talk to each other in snippets of conversation that give me the barest hint of what’s going on.“Saline. Her veins are shrunken.”“Heart rate elevated, but not dangerously.”“That laceration is likely infected. We need penicillin and a disinfectant.”I don’t dare interrupt them. I can’t imagine stealing a second Eleni might need to get better. Tear streaks mark her face, and she was already crying when I got in the ambulance. In the end, Camila had her in that fucking house for two weeks. Two goddamn weeks. I am counting my blessings she’s not in more danger, but I’m fucking terrified.Tony leans in the d
Last Updated : 2024-09-09Indebted to the Mafia King Sunshine
EleniI blink awake to something warm on my face. My stomach grumbles threateningly around its emptiness, and I start to sit up to find the bedpan.Something restrains my left arm. Two somethings. I turn slowly in the sun-drenched bed, fighting for enough memories to put together where I am. The first something is Dante, slumped in an armchair from the living room of the safehouse upstate but still holding onto my hand. He looks actually, properly relaxed, his brow unlined for once. The sun sparkles off something in our entwined hands, and for a heart-racing moment, I think he found my engagement ring. But no, he’s slipped his ring onto my thumb, where it barely fits. Tears fill my eyes as I manage a wobbly smile.The second something is an IV full of clear liquid. Unlabeled bag. My arm aches—everything does—but I feel steadier than I have in ages. Like sleep actually refreshed me. I can even tell someone did something to my mouth because it tastes minty fresh instead of like old vom
Last Updated : 2024-09-09Indebted to the Mafia King Second String
Tony“Check on the fucking capos,” I mutter under the music as I soar down the Verrazano Bridge in the dead of night. “Call them back. Check in with Cal fucking Duncan. Take out my goddamn laundry while I play house upstate. I’m the don, don’t forget.”In my mind, I hear Seb’s response. You sound like a cranky toddler, Tony. You two love each other. He’s dealing with a lot. You’ll be back to normal in no time.“He’s dealing with a lot?” I demand. “I’m talking to my dead fucking brother in my mind as I drive to meet the head of the Irish Kings.”The Seb in my mind only shrugs. I win a lot more arguments since—I crank the music to drown out my thoughts.After weaving through city traffic, I pull up in front of McCreegan’s Pub and leave the music blaring for a few extra seconds. May as well give the little dick something to complain about. Then, I shut off the car and head inside. Just like last time, the bartender leads me through the freezer, into the second bar Cal installed in the b
Last Updated : 2024-09-09Indebted to the Mafia King Country Air
Eleni“Let me get that.” Dante swoops into my path and tries to grab the full plate of pasta out of my hands.I hold on with a small smile. “I’ve been walking for two days. I think I can handle carrying my own dinner.”“You are stubborn.” He kisses the tip of my nose. “Can I take your glass instead?”I nod, and he lets go. He’s been doting on me for the last three days, barely letting me do anything. It’s sweet, but it’s also driving me insane. I pad from the kitchen into the living room and sit on the couch. Dante’s pasta and his glass of wine wait on the coffee table. I set mine next to his, and a moment later, he appears with my glass of sparkling apple juice. We both look at it for a moment. Dr. Fletcher hasn’t called yet. I haven’t gotten my period yet. Without talking about it, Dante and I both agreed I’m not going to drink until we know one way or the other.“What do you want to watch tonight?” I ask, shattering the spell.He passes me the glass and blinks a few times. “I pick
Last Updated : 2024-09-09Indebted to the Mafia King Perfect
EleniOver my clothes, under the blankets, Dante cups me like I’m made of glass. My thin shirt can’t disguise the warmth of his skin, and though my whole body still aches, I want to tell him to treat me like normal. He thumbs over my nipple, and I arch up, tilting my head back toward the ceiling. In my mind’s eye, I see the crack I tracked during the endless hours of my capture.I shut my eyes. “Fuck me like you would if we were there.”“Quietly?” Dante’s voice holds the ghost of a smile. “We have a lot of children and Mama not to wake up.”I picture a whitewashed house in Greece, next to the restaurant rather than on top of it, with a cozy front garden covered in plastic kids toys, far enough outside the city that I can commute and far enough away that the air tastes clean. A small grove of olive trees in the back where we picnic. I can almost taste the salt of the sea, just like Mama always described from home. In the darkness, it’s easy to pretend we’re already there.“Yes,” I murm
Last Updated : 2024-09-09Indebted to the Mafia King Rond Up
DanteTwo days before El’s first class at Tandon, Tony and I sit on the back porch of the safehouse. I roll a glass of scotch between my palms and stare at the trees I know hide Christos’ grave.“I don’t think there’s another choice at this point,” I say.“She was just kidnapped, Dante.” Tony takes a long pull of his beer. “Putting off college for a semester is a goddamn option.”I shake my head. “She’d be devastated. And she fucking earned it, Tone. I’m not letting Camila take this from her.”“And if you move her into the city, Camila only has the opportunity to take her life.” Tony rolls his eyes.I sip my scotch. He’s been touchy since he found out about Henry. I know it’s the right move. Even if it scares the shit out of me.“Has there been more activity?” I ask. “Or are we just hiding from shadows at this point?”“Nothing huge.” Tony shakes his head. “I don’t fucking know what they’d do at this point. They’ve got the drug trade in a stranglehold. Everyone’s hiding from goddamn sh
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EleniI pace back and forth in the guest bedroom we’ve set up as my kind-of office over the last few days. Dante got me a laptop, and Tony brought my school books on one of his many trips up here. I could study. Maybe I should be studying. Classes start in two days. But neither Dante or I have actually, seriously said we’re going back to the city yet. I lift the blinds to check on him and Tony on the deck.They’re both gone. For a split second, cold fear grips my heart. The Russians found the safehouse, and they took both of them while I stood up here. Any second now, the door to this room will burst in, and I’ll be back in that fucking cell before I know it.Someone knocks on the door, and my heart skips a beat. But Russians wouldn’t knock. Dante would.“Come in!” I say, hoping my voice doesn’t sound panicky.Dante opens the door and steps in. He looks taller, prouder than he did a minute ago. My battered heart leaps.“What did Tony say? Good news?” I ask. “Russian syndicate destroye
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EleniI shuffle through the hangers in the walk-in closet attached to the bedroom in the city apartment Dante showed me just before everything went wrong a few weeks ago. Classes start tomorrow. Tomorrow! And I haven’t even thought about what I’m going to wear yet. Most of my things from the house have been shipped here, but as I flick through them, all I can think about is how much longer they’re going to fit me for. Leather pants? Silk camisoles? I couldn’t have picked clothes with less stretch if I wanted to.Someone leans on their horn outside, and I’ve lived here way too long to jump, but the city noises are still abrupt after so long away from them. The cell the Russians kept me in was almost completely silent, and there are no neighbors by the safehouse. I missed the noise. I think.My mind drifts to the house on Staten Island, apparently empty right now. It wasn’t silent there by any means, just quieter. Quiet enough that I should’ve been able to hear the sirens headed for bur
Last Updated : 2024-09-09
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TatianaI regret leaving the house the moment I reach the city. The buildings are monstrous, and I’m not used to a place as overwhelmingly chaotic as New York. At first, I was determined to head straight to the apartment Lev had rented—curious, optimistic, convinced that whatever he’d left there might hold answers about Oleg. I had hoped to find something, anything, that could help the Saints in their mission to dismantle the Romina Empire.I type the address Lev sent via email into the GPS, but I start recognizing the street names—familiar turns, shops and signs. Then I see it— the corner deli where Angelo kidnapped me that day. My stomach turns over and the blood in my veins turns to ice. I’m too close to the place where the wedding ceremony took place. Where I ran from. Where it all began.Emotionally, I begin to unravel and as if that’s not enough, I realize the car behind me has been changing lanes immediately after I merge for long enough that I’m being followed. Panic claws
Indebted to the Mafia King She's Gone
AngeloA sharp beep echoes from the garage downstairs and jerks me out of sleep.For a second, I think it’s part of a dream. I lie still, blinking at the ceiling. But something feels off—too quiet, too empty.I don’t need to look to my side to know she’s gone.I feel it.The air is colder. The silence heavier.I sit up, scanning the room. The door is open. Lights off. Nothing.Then I notice it—my gun, keys, and wallet are missing.“Fuck,” I growl, bolting out of bed. I yank on my pants and shove my arms through my shirt like I’m racing death itself. My chest tightens, adrenaline slamming through my veins like a freight train.She took my car, my weapon, and my goddamn trust.“You can’t do this to me, Tatiana,” I mutter, storming into the hallway. My voice is hoarse, laced with anger and something far worse—fear.“She’s gone!” I shout down the corridor, pounding on Dice’s door without waiting. “Get the fuck up—we’ve got a problem.”Dice swings the door open already halfway dressed, eye
Indebted to the Mafia King Letter from the Past
*Tatiana*Angelo and I ended up in bed after our talk on the porch. Not because we reached an understanding—we didn’t. We’re still standing on opposite sides of a line neither of us is willing to cross. But I knew pushing him harder would only cause more damage.So, I hold my tongue.For now, keeping the peace meant swallowing my pride, locking my thoughts away, and playing the role of someone willing to wait.It’s after midnight. Rain pounds against the windows like a warning—fierce, unrelenting. Angelo lies asleep beside me, peaceful, unaware of the storm brewing right here in this bed.I watch him for a long moment, memorizing the shape of him, the warmth of him, just in case this is the last time.Sleep won’t come, so I reach for the tablet on my nightstand. I browse for a while—news, maps, dead ends. Then, on impulse, I check my old email. I haven’t opened it since I left Russia. I expect spam, junk, maybe nothing at all.What I don’t expect is a message from Lev.Dated the night
Indebted to the Mafia King Conflicts
*Tatiana*I grit my teeth and force myself not to roll my eyes. Throwing a tantrum won’t help—but that doesn’t stop the anger simmering just beneath my skin. I don’t like the way Angelo drew that line between us. Cold. Sharp. Final.It’s not just that he’s shutting me out. It’s how he’s doing it—like I’m still some piece on his chessboard, a liability to manage. A prisoner, technically. But from him? That’s a slap in the face.He’s across the kitchen, body rigid, watching me. I ignore him. If he wants distance, fine. I’ve had worse from men with half his brain and twice his ego.I focus on the window, jaw tight. I will find a way to be useful, whether he lets me or not. I didn’t survive this long just to be benched.“Give me a cigarette,” Angelo mutters, moving toward Sal and snatching the pack from the table.My gaze flicks over in time to see the tension in his shoulders, the anger in his hands.He doesn’t smoke. Hasn’t since I got here.“Sure you wanna do that?” Kian asks, brows ra
Indebted to the Mafia King Disagreements
AngeloI pull myself from the bed and get dressed, still feeling the rush from my quick encounter with Tatiana. As much as I want to spend more time with her, I know I can't afford to linger. Work’s been piling up, and I’ve been slacking lately—ever since things started getting heated between us. The Saints need me, and I can’t ignore them.Keeping an eye on Tatiana, as per Tony’s orders, has also taken a lot of my focus. I haven’t had a chance to personally discuss with him yet what Tatiana shared with me about her past and her involvement with the Rominas, but I know that Sal and Dice have already filled him in. I just hope Tony doesn’t see her as a liability or a potential threat, but instead, as an ally."Can I ask you something?" Tatiana’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. She’s lying there, looking up at me, her lashes fluttering in that way I know always gets me."Sure," I reply, trying to sound casual. I walk back toward her but keep my distance so we don’t end up going for ro
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TatianaThe morning sun warms my skin, stirring me gently from sleep. I stretch my arms above my head, muscles loosening as a sense of peace settles over me. It’s strange how a good night’s sleep can reset everything—my mood, my resolve, even my sense of purpose. Today, I feel new. Whole.Turning to my side, I gaze at Angelo. He’s still asleep, facing me, his features relaxed and soft in the quiet light. I take him in—the curve of his lips, the strong line of his jaw, those unruly dark curls that slip over closed eyes, guarded by lashes so long they could make any woman jealous.He looks like a different man when he’s asleep—unbothered, weightless. Awake, he carries the world like it’s chained to his back.A part of me wants to believe I’m the reason for that peace. That I’m helping him, in the way he’s helped me—just by being here, by seeing him, really seeing him, the way that no one else has. Just as he’s able to see me differently.My heart pounds as flashes of the past two weeks
Indebted to the Mafia King Nostalgia
*Tatiana*Getting to finally meet two other members of the Saints feels somewhat… exciting. I was shocked to see the one I had cut while running away from the wedding was part of their gang. This whole time, I’d just assumed that he had been working for Oleg. At least he doesn’t seem to be holding a grudge against me, which is a relief.The other one, though—Dice—was harder to convince that he can trust me, but in the end, I think they both believed me and my story. I still don’t know the plans they have for me, and I assume they need to tell their boss what I’ve disclosed first, but surprisingly, I’m not that worried about my future anymore. I know Angelo won’t leave me on the street by myself. He’ll find a way to keep me protected, even if his boss tells him I’m of no use to them anymore.Maybe I can return to Russia and start again somehow. The mere thought of leaving Angelo behind hurts my heart, but if that’s what it comes to in the end, I’ll have to find a way. It’s a bit alar
Indebted to the Mafia King Bonding Over Breakfast
AngeloTatiana and I spend the rest of the day in her room, only leaving for dinner, and we’re back in bed before midnight. The house is empty because the rest of the team had to go to a meeting with Tony and left me here watching her—since, in their words, I already know how to deal with her.I wanted to punch the smirks off their faces, but they weren’t wrong.I also don’t want them near Tatiana while they’re still so suspicious of her. That would only scare her. And now that she’s shared everything with me, I’m more convinced than ever that I was right all along—she was never a threat.There’s no way she could be such a good actor and lie about her past. I saw the pain in her eyes, the hatred, and the guilt she carries. It’s the exact same look I see in the mirror when I stare at myself.I told her I didn’t think I could hate Oleg any more than I already did, but now that I know what he put her through… God, rage boils inside me to the point I can barely control it.Luca, Tatiana’s
Indebted to the Mafia King Sharing Secrets
*Tatiana*I lie against Angelo’s chest, staring blankly at the wall, his thumb circling gentle caresses on my back. The sun is setting outside, and I have lost track of how long we’ve been here. For all I care, we could just stay here forever. I wouldn’t mind.I wonder where the other guys are or if they know what we’re doing in here, but I don’t bother to ask ngelo about it. Not that I’m embarrassed about what we did, but we’re supposed to be enemies, kidnapper and kidnapped. This isn’t how things were supposed to evolve between us.I bet they hate me for not giving them what they want, for wasting their time, and for fucking Angelo–something they’re all probably aware of by now.But what can I do? It’s not like I forced him to sleep with me. I didn’t even try that hard to seduce him.“What are you thinking about?” he whispers against my head, placing a soft kiss on my temple.“Not much,” I reply with a shrug.“I doubt that,” he says, continuing his featherlight strokes on my skin.H
