—Ellie— Over the next couple of days, Tristan kept his distance. We didn’t go on runs, and Kate or one of his brothers brought me food. The look in his eyes when I’d screamed in the basement, it was difficult to describe, but I knew for some reason it had bothered him. Damian had informed me this morning that Mateo was back in Minneapolis. I believed him. Tristan had promised and despite my difficult feelings toward the Don, I knew he’d keep this promise. I also knew that Mateo and my family were suffering every day I was here. Damian treated me even colder than before—if that was even possible. I had a feeling things between Tristan and him were strained because of Mateo. Damian probably would have killed my cousin. It was the obvious solution, the one Salvador would have chosen. But Tristan ... he was unpredictable. Cruel. Fierce. I didn’t understand him. If he’d tortured and killed Mateo, I would have hated him with brutal abandon, woul
—Ellie— “One month,” Tristan reminded me as he led me through the garden. It took me a moment to understand what he meant. “Since you captured me,” I said quietly. One month. Sometimes it felt so much longer, sometimes like only yesterday. I had never thought I’d survive a single day in the hands of the Russo's, in Tristan Russo’s hands, and now I’d survived so many more. Tristan was more patient than I’d thought. I was fairly sure my family and the Outfit was at a point by now that they’d hand Scuderi over, even if my grandfather disapproved. He was an old man close to death. I stared down at my bare feet in the grass. As a child I’d loved to run around barefoot, but eventually I had stopped because I was told it was undignified. Ice Princess. I’d enjoyed being her in public, even if she wasn’t a reflection of my true self. It was who I was supposed to be as Salvador’s niece, as Drake’s wife. Controlled. Dignified. Graceful. I caught
—Tristan— Ellie stared down at me with hatred, but she didn’t fight when I hooked my fingers in the waistband of her thong. I waited a couple of heartbeats, relishing in her silence, bathing in her surrender. I pulled down her panties. She shuddered but lifted her feet so she could step out of her panties. I pushed her skirt up. “Hold it up, Querido.” Her elegant fingers curled around the hem of her skirt, and she pressed it up against her flat stomach. I was at eye level with her pussy. The trimmed hair above her clit glistened with her juice, and her lips were swollen with arousal. I leaned forward, breathing in her heady scent. Before I’d kidnapped Ellie, I’d entertained different scenarios of how I would conquer her, break her, but this hadn’t been among them. I had to admit I enjoyed it tremendously. I ran my rough palms up her smooth thighs. She trembled, but not from fear, and fuck ... with Ellie I preferred any emotion but fear.
—Ellie— He exhaled and pulled back so he could look at my face, and the look in his eyes, it almost made my knees buckle. For a second, I had him. I held the reins on the cruelest, most powerful man in the west, and it was thrilling. But Tristan wouldn’t be Tristan, wouldn’t be Don, if he didn’t know how to take his power back. He grabbed his pants and pulled them down together with his boxers. His erection sprang free, and Tristan braced himself against the wall with his hands on either side of my head. I stared down at him and sank back against the wall. He was long and thick and impossibly hard. I tore my gaze away, only to be hit with Tristan’s penetrating stare. My cheeks blazed with heat, and he smiled as he leaned forward, trailing his tongue over my heated cheekbone. “Tell me, Querido, what will be my reward for my patience?” I stood on my tiptoes, curling my fingers over his neck, pulling myself up and against him. His hardness
—Tristan— This was the ultimate victory over Salvador, over the Outfit. They didn’t know it yet, but they would soon. Ellie trembled under me, her marble cheeks flushed, lips parted. She was in pain, and somehow it didn’t please me because I had tried not to hurt her. I gave pain willingly, deliberately, freely. Not by accident. I held myself still, content in the feeling of her tight walls squeezing my cock mercilessly. I was fucking ecstatic feeling the slickness around me and knowing it was her virgin blood. The sweetest reward for my patience I could imagine. My eyes roamed Ellie’s perfect features, and her blue eyes met mine, searching, wondering. I pulled out of her slowly, recognizing the signs of pain in her expression, then pushed back in even slower. I rocked my hips slowly, keeping my movements as controlled as possible. Her face twisted with pain and pleasure, and I angled my hips to increase the latter. She gasped, surprised. I
—Ellie— Tristan pulled out of me, and I winced, sucking in a sharp breath. I rolled over to my side, away from him, but the shame stayed with me. He brushed my hair away and kissed my neck then lightly bit down, and I shivered. “You are mine now, Querido. I own you. Even if I ever let you go, I’ll still own you. You will always remember this day and deep down you will always know that you are mine and mine alone.” I closed my eyes, trying to hold back tears, fighting them, holding on to my composure with sheer force of will. The sheets rustled as Tristan got out of bed, and I didn’t look over my shoulder to see what he was doing. I heard the water running in the bathroom. He returned moments later and ran his fingers down my spine then back up before he grabbed my shoulder and rolled me onto my back. My eyes found his. He parted my legs, his eyes taking in my thighs covered in my blood. Not taking his eyes off my face
—Tristan— After claiming Eleanor, I left her in the bed. I needed time to gather my fucking thoughts. I went to my bedroom and put on briefs but didn’t bother cleaning my thighs or face. It was late in the evening, so Kate should still be in her bedroom with Damian. I could still taste her, sweet and metallic. The sweetest triumph of my life. Fuck. This woman … I fixed myself a drink, a bourbon, then leaned against the bar, swirling the liquid in the glass, fucking averse to washing away her taste. The memory still burned bright. This was the moment I’d worked toward, had been patient for. For once in my life I’d been patient. Your reward will be worth it. I will be your first querido. Eleanor was so much more than I’d hoped for. She was magnificently gorgeous, ruinously breathtaking. Even lesser men would kill to have someone as regal as her in their bed only once. I almost got a fucking boner thinking about how Drake would feel se
—Ellie— I hovered beside the bed, unable to move. The white sheets were gone, sheets covered in my blood. Tristan had taken them, and I knew why. I closed my eyes for a moment. He would send them to my family. They would find out what had happened. What would they think? Would they hate me? Banish me? This wasn’t rape. I could not defend my actions. There was no force, no torture, no violence. Mateo had risked his life for me. Men had died because of me, and I had betrayed them all. I turned away from the bed, unable to bear its presence, and headed toward the window. I climbed on the windowsill, wincing at the sharp twinge between my legs. A painful reminder I didn’t need. Every moment of what I’d done was burned into my memory, blazing fiercely when I closed my eyes. I slept with Tristan Russo. Don of the Russo's. My enemy. —Tristan— The next morning I found Ellie perched in her usual sp
—Kate— Seeing his cousins run around, Alexei at only ten months, has been trying to walk. I was on the sofa in the game room laying down while he was on his play mat. He was currently on his hands and knees with with his little butt in the air, then he looked up at me not sure what time do next, not knowing how to stand straight. “Damian!” I called out, I was a three days past my due date and I couldn't do much of anything except lie down and rest and pray that this little boy is ready to make his debut soon. So I.couldn't carry Alexei, I needed help. Damian ran into the game room, panic and worry written all over his face. “Is it the baby? Is it time? Are you having contractions?” He asked me. “Calm down Damian, it's none of that. Your son is still very comfortable in my womb. But I really hope he comes soon because it's starting to get really uncomfortable.” I tell Damian. He walks over to me and then sees Alexei who is still in his awkward position and
—Damian— Months later, we were all gathered by the pool, Samuel and Isa ran around the garden, but Samuel was faster than his sister but that didn't stop her from doing her best to catch up. Me, Kate and Alexei were in the pool, Alexei was in his shark floaty what his uncle Savio got for him, it was his size but at the same time it looked like it could swallow him whole. “Soon you're going to be able to run around with your cousins.” Kate said to him and he just laughed and smiled at her. I swam and pushed him through the water, Kate was a few days away from her due date and she wasn't able to do much. She just leaned at the edge of the pool and watched everything with a smile on her face. I didn't think it was possible but pregnancy made her even more beautiful. She says she looks and feels like a beached whale so I spend every single free moment of my time in bed reminding her that she's not. Tristan and Ellie were on the lounge chairs as they kept an eye o
—Kate— It's been a week since that horrible day, and today is also a sad day in the house, Adam is leaving to New York today. I completely understand his reasoning behind his decision, but my cousin and Tristan are on the same level, Luca might even be worse, but if Adam survives a year under him, he'll he a better man for it. We were all gathered in the living room, saying goodbye to Adam. “You be good in New York ok.” I tell him and then I hug him, I'm really going to miss him, the house won't be the same without him. Adam nodded his head and then pulled back. “It's ok Katie, there's no need to worry, I'll be good, and I'll come back home for Fabian and Anna's wedding and also when you give birth to your little guy.” He tells me. I raised my eyebrows at him. “Little guy?” I ask him. “Yea, you're going to have a boy, I just know it.” He tells me with a little smile on his face. I just laughed. “Alright, we'll see if you're right when we check. But wil
—Damian— I walked into the game room the next day and all traces of the previous day were all gone. The blood, bullets and glass, they were all cleared and the whole room was back to normal. I looked up and the glass doors that led into the garden were open, Adam sat on the ground, his back to me. I went over to the garden and sat down next to him. I looked at him and he had bags and shadows under his eyes, it was clear he hadn't slept, then I looked at his hands and they were red. “Did you stay awake and clean the game room?” I ask him, because that had to be the only explanation, both Ellie and Kate were asleep and the cleaners had not come in. “Yea, I did, it was the least I could do.” He said but he didn't look at me, he was still staring at the grass. “You didn't need to do that Adam, you should've slept. Yesterday was hard on all of us, plus you're in withdrawal so you're tired that the rest of us.” I tell him, I know he feels guilty but this isn't
—Damian— Adam looked at me hoping that I would be the clear headed one and understand where he's coming from. “It's not forever, just for a year. If I'm under Luca's rule I know that there will be no mercy for me, he'll treat me like one if his soldiers, he won't care that I'm a Russo. Especially if you tell him not to be lenient to me, Luca is as cold and violent as you, he'd relish at the opportunity.” Adam explained. “There is a fragile peace between us Adam and Luca knows that if anything happens to you Tristan will rain hell down on New York to avenge you.” I tell him. “Yes but that's only if he kills me which he won't do. If I make a mistake he'll punish me and get me back in line because I'll be his soldier but here I'll always be your little brother.” Adam said. “If Luca catches you using drugs, he won't just punish you, he'll torture you and this time Ellie won't be there to save you. He'll do whatever he wants to you and you cannot object.” Trist
—Damian— As I walked down the stairs to the basement, I had to admit to myself that I wasn't at my full strength, the blood loss had taken enough from me, but I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. And just because I wasn't at my full strength did not mean that I wouldn't be able to do what needed to be done. I walked into the corridor of the basement and Tristan was standing there. “You're joining me?” He asked me. “Yea I am.” I tell him. He looked at me, scanning my face like he was looking for something but I had no idea what he was looking for. “Fabian has gone to pick up Anna from campus and Saviour can't join us because he has a concussion and needs to lay down. So it's just me and you.” He tells me. “No it's not.” A voice says from behind, both Tristan and I turn around and see Adam coming down the stairs. With everything that happened we haven't even been able to handle his matter, he's the cause of everything, I don't know if I can even fully bla
—Kate— “I don't think so, but it's better to be safe than sorry.” Fabian tells me and I nod my head, he's right. I walked over to where Tristan was and Ellie came around and hugged me. “I'm so happy that you and Alexei are okay.” She tells me and I hug her back. This woman that crashed into our lives has become like a sister to me and she almost lost her husband today because Tristan was ready to lay down his life for me and Alexei and even my unborn child. “What about Samuel and Isabella, are they okay?” I ask her. “Yea they're up in their room playing, I have their monitor here with me. They don't know that anything went wrong, they saw Tristan and thought it was paint on his body.” She tells me. “That's good.” I say then pull back, none of the kids will remember this day, they won't be scarred by it. I turned to Tristan and tears welled up in my eyes, this man that acts so cold, like he doesn't have a heart, but out of all the brothers, I think he
—Kate— Damian let go of my hands and walked towards his brothers, all of them except for Adam, were covered in blood and were still bleeding from their cuts but these stubborn men wouldn't do anything about it until they end their mother. Fabian gets up and walks towards me, he has a cut on his head that's bleeding. “Come on Katie, you and Alexei need to get out of your clothes, take a shower and put on fresh clothes.” He tells me. I nodded my head at him but still I didn't move, my eyes were fixed on the brothers kneeled around their mother, this moment here had been years in the making and I'm just happy that finally they'll be able to put the past behind them. Tristan and Damian both put one hand on the hilt of the knife. They looked to Savio and Adam who nodded their heads, giving their concent and then they changed the angle of the knife and plunged the knife deeper into her stomach. She gasped and then she released a breath and stopped moving, she was dead, final
—Kate— I watched as the man I love and his brothers that I cared about, bleed out to save me and my baby. I looked down as their blood pooled on the floor beneath them and I couldn't breathe. I couldn't let this happen, they couldn't die just like that. Alexei and I needed Damian, Ellie and the twins needed Tristan and Savio, sweet Saviour he hadn't even had the chance to find love or happiness in this life, I couldn't let it end like this. Their mother gestured at one of her men. “You, get me that knife, we don't want them doing anything stupid with it.” She said. “I'm not your dog that you can order around, remember we're just helping you and we've done everything you've asked so give us the rest of our money.” The man told her. The smile on her face got wider, she wasn't phased at all. “I know what I promised you and there's plenty of money in the backseat of the car, it's under the arm rest, now get me that knife.” She ordered them again, I looked at her an