"Twilight – a time of pause when nature changes her guard. All living things would fade and die from too much light or too much dark if twilight were not. "– Howard ThurmanMELODY POVMy mind couldn't seem to register anything going on around me. Things were either moving too fast, or my mind was lagging behind at a tortoise-on-morphine pace. But my senses were on hyper-alert, and there was this annoying voice screaming in my head constantly, tweeting incoherent nonsense that echoed all around my brain.Everywhere my eyes landed was nothing but thick redness that covered my brainpower like a heavy cloak, and the only thing keeping me on solid ground was Jordarn's hand on my lower back. The heat leaking from his palm alone was a whole living thing, and sense and clarity were its symptoms of liveliness.My stomach flipped and turned, unease settling on my shoulders with a crushing weight.I felt it in my bones and in the air around me, and the voice in my head concurred with dripping awa
"When you’re surrounded by a world of constant lies, manipulation, and deceit, that dark energy is bound to seep into you eventually." – Jeffrey Bowyer-ChapmanMELODY POVA cold whisper washed down my spine as Jordan picked me up from where I was curled on the floor. Without breaking a sweat, he spun me around, and butterflies floated in my belly with an echo when his eyes connected with mine. With the back of his hand, he wiped the bitter, salty rivulets off my cheeks and the pool underneath my chin.A familiar presence burned my back, and I tilted my head to find Laylah with a white leather coat clutched in her hands. She held it up for me and I silently slipped my hands into it before tying a suffocating knot on my front, then eased a stilling breath into my lungs.Silence stretched on the tide of time, fear screaming louder than the rapid breathing that surrounded the room. There was a foreign coldness that lurked and hung on the ceiling like a dark cloud. Like a presence from ano
"The water in a vessel is sparkling; the water in the sea is dark. The small truth has words which are clear; the great truth has great silence." - Rabindranath TagoreJORDAN POVThere was something about her. I am talking about my girl. She was the flat definition of evil and nightmare; a thin cross between world reckless and hearts on sleeves. Those were the few things I could come up with at the moment, yet I knew what she smelled like... Like home to me. I also knew how she tasted like, and how her traitorous body submitted to mine, betraying her. So in conclusion, my girl was many things. Yet I could think about how awesome she was in everything she did.I loved how my presence alone seemed to ruffle her perfectly refined feathers. How she hated handing over control yet it came so easy when I demanded. The little sounds she made in the back of her throat when she was lost in thought.But what happened today showed me the greater side of her that she didn't show to many. Yes, it s
"If a man is dumb, someone is going to get the best of him, so why not you? If you don't, you're as dumb as he is." - Arnold Rothstein.MELODY POVI sat in the middle of the bed dressed in nothing but Jordan's fresh dress shirt. I would have absolutely loved to dawn the one he wore today; if it weren't for the fact that he drenched it in the shower after he found me in an ice bath. Honestly, my man needed to master the calm the fuck down skills before he got us all killed. The remote controller felt like a brick in my palm as I flipped through channels, in search of something that would kill time as I waited for him. But the channels were filled with stupid rom-com, and I wasn't the typical kind of girl who'd sit down and watch that crap.I was about to throw the tiny device across the room when it finally landed on a channel that had something worthy to watch.Right on the screen were two news anchors, one female, and one male. Beneath their seated forms was a red belt with big blac
"It takes many stepping stones you know, for a man to rise. None can do it unaided” ~ Joe BonannoMELODY POV -My mind ran amok with a thousand thoughts.One of them being everything that Jordan said to me last night. A part of me knew I have been quite unfair to him, wanting to rope him down and not letting him spread his wings fully while he was meant to fly high with the eagles. But in my defense, I was used to shouldering my own shit that it felt unreal to have someone who was willing to carry the whole burden with me. It has always been Melody against the world. Yes, I had three baddest fathers and an army of men who'd lay their lives on the line for me, but the responsibility that came with governing that army and protecting it was a deadly weight on my shoulders.And if we were to be quite honest, we'd come to the conclusion that my guy wasn't quite ripe for the life he had to live with me. Yes, he was there, but not fully there with the savage dogs I had at my beck and call.M
"Judges, lawyers and politicians have a license to steal. We don’t need one.” ~ Carlo GambinoMELODY POV"The cars are waiting, signora," Douglass informed peeking through the open door of the jet.I broke up the kiss and pulled off Jordan's lips before staring at the convoy of black Cadillacs parked outside the jet. There had to be 13 of them, and we were just transferring a renowned trafficker from the airport to our torture chamber. One would have thought we are picking Queen Elizabeth from the grave."Get rid of the convoy, Douglass, this is not the pope's parade," I yelled back before smacking my lips on Jordan again. He chuckled in my mouth and ran his big hands down the length of my back."And get us something white... and small," I called out again, and a confused sound came from behind me."I am taking Jord with me. The rest of you can go to the manor." I clarified because I hated to be disturbed the most. And he's done a fair share of that since stepping foot in here. Sadly
"This life of ours, this is a wonderful life. If you can get through life like this and get away with it, hey, that’s great. But its very, very unpredictable. There’s so many ways you can screw it up.” ~ Paul CastellanoJORDAN POVMy knuckles were slowly turning white against the steering wheel. The road was pleasant beneath the tires, and I could feel a narrow sheen of sweat trailing down the length of my spine unhurriedly,To the mirror and back to the road, my eyes shifted constantly as I tried to gain the upper hand in the situation. Thoughts like why did we have to be chased today tried to clog my mind but I refused to dwell on them.If I was going to wife Melody and be the man worthy of her, then I was going to fix today.My head spun and my eyes found her. This time, she had one leg propped on the seat while her eyes remained glued to the reflection in the mirror. Her calmness was almost jarring. Like the calm before the raging storm. I saw Alexander in her, the calm she exuded
“Never open your mouth, unless you’re in the dentist chair” ~ Sammy “The Bull” GravanoJORDAN POVSome things are just so wrong. From start to finish, the idea of their existence is a simple absurdity. Like the things, my sister was telling me.Right now, the Rothschilds and Cattanio - Alderman were the classic English and French grotesque. Frenemies if you want to call them. The Cattanio - Alderman took the better half of the deal and my people got the shit end of the stick. That was just life right now."Honestly, Yel. That is one thing that can send them raging. I don't even want to think of what would happen if I ran." I said into the phone, pacing the length of my vast bedroom.Assuming I made it out of the manor without ticking off Dante who had the eyes of the hawk, or his Dobermans and Great Danes, just where would I run off to?Last time I checked, Melody and her fathers practically owned the United States, if not the rest of the world. They would find me, and only God knows