ALESSANDRO “ I have speculation.” I slam the bottle on the counter, causing a few splashes to stain my hand. “I’m going to Calvino territory to investigate this, if he has a hand in her death I'm going to make him slip up and make a mistake because he was at my wedding with Simona grinning like a Cheshire cat like he knew something I didn't know.”“You can’t go to his territory with no evidence and no clue of their location, let alone their involvement. Besides, you’re the fucking Head of families now, Alessandro.Your position is vulnerable, considering you haven’t been in it for too long. Not to mention all the factions you’ve managed to offend in a small amount of time. The only thing you can do right now is stay and try to strengthen your authority.”“I don’t give a fuck about that. I’m going to Calvino territory. Make arrangements.”“No, I won’t.”I stare into Damien’s dispassionate eyes. “Are you disobeying a direct order?”“I am. I’m also telling you that if you go in blind, y
LORENA 2 years laterSometimes, death is better than staying alive.In death, you can feel no pain, no shattering of your heart, and no need to cry every night before sleeping and every morning after waking up.In death, there’s finally peace.No more running, suffering, and having to witness your heart being split open while hopelessly watching.Like every morning, I jolt awake after the same mixture of nightmares. My shirt clings to my back with sweat, and my hair feels damp.The small room I’ve been using for weeks appears smaller, as if the walls are closing in on me and will crush me.My heart that stupidly insists on beating goes overboard in its attempts to remain alive.I tap my chest as images of the nightmare overlap in my mind. Some are filled with memories of my family . The look of despair on Zia’s face when she realized everything would be over.But most are filled with images of Ales’s wedding. I always dream about it in red as if I’m witnessing it through a blood haze
LORENA Didn’t experts always say that hiding something in plain sight was most efficient? Besides, in some weird way the area that used to be home to a young Alessandro felt like an invisible cloak of protection.So we found ourselves here, and I could see myself staying here forever. Except that I sucked at Italian. Matteo, my son, on the other hand, was soaking it up. I named him after late Zio.“Ella, are you ready?” I called out to my now best friend, sticking to her nickname. She and my son, Matteo, were packing up toys like we were moving to the beach, not just walking less than hundred yards to it.“Yes, grabbing the sunscreen and putting on a bathing suit. Then I’m all ready.”“You are not even in a bathing suit?” I asked in a groan.I went to shut my laptop down when my email pinged. Throwing a quick glance, I smiled. I knew he couldn’t resist.To: The GhostFrom: DonI’d let you go to the beach. Once in a while. I’m a great boss like that.KI chuckled again. At least he
LORENA If we could keep this going for another three years, we could stop doing it and just live the rest of our lives doing little jobs here and there. We’d still be set, and Matteo would never go hungry.“Matteo, come here so Mommy can put sunblock on you,” I called out to my son.He abandoned his little sand digging and walked over with a big grin. His hazel eyes watched me with love and trust while his dark hair ruffled under the light breeze. God, how he reminded me of his father.The familiar pain hit my chest, but it was gone quickly. I had worked hard to forget the pain and loss of his father. My son was a reminder, but in a good way. I liked to think of my husband as he could have been if he wasn’t corrupted by all the events in his life.I squeezed the lotion into my hands and applied it over his exposed skin. Matteo had a year-round tan, just like his father. But I was paranoid and used lots of sunscreen. If I could, I’d put Matteo into a secure bubble, but I knew it
ALESSANDRO We sat around the conference room, in the Moravia skyrise building, the entire New York view stretching on the west wall. The meeting was with the top members of the Columbian crime organization. There were only two of them along with Cesare and myself. We had to keep it low and under the radar. I sent everyone home and ensured there was nobody around to bear witness to this. Damien had ensured that; there was nobody better than him at ensuring people were invisible and things remained unseen. It was Damien’s job.Trained for it.Hired more of my friends from the army to help the Mafia family business run smoothly.Hired Amadeo who like selling guns,Enzo and Giovanni who pushed drugs, I relegated to Money Laundering since her death, Dante Rossi did a bit of everything but selling flesh.We all did a few other things on the side and had legitimate fronts, usually in the form of casinos, but if I needed a drug shipment, usually I went to Enzo and Giovanni. For guns, it w
ALESSANDRO Since Luca woke up from the coma due to being in close proximity with the bombed cottage.He told me that she never died, that it was a guard stationed by Calvino to kill my wife and that she had been declared missing. And I vowed to get revenge on Calvino.Yes, smashing his face was tempting. Maybe even his ribs.“Damn straight.” I gulped the entire drink down, the brown liquid burning down my throat. Just like my guilt. If I listened to her, she’d still be here… with me. I should have chained her to my bed and cut all her ties with her family. It should have been me punishing her, not her father. Not her fucking family. She ran because she choose me. Luca strode into the room, and I handed him his drink.“If she is dead, you have to move on,” Cesare tried again. If she was dead, I’d never marry again. Yes, I’d take other women to bed, but none of them would ever become my wife. I thought back to those first few months when I tried to fuck any woman, as long as she d
LORENAThe sounds of the waves crashing along the shores of the little island that became our home was all around us, mixing with the smell of the sea. Sitting on the small balcony, overlooking the water, I sipped on my glass of wine. I felt at peace here. I didn’t think I could find happiness again, but right at this moment, it felt pretty damn close to it. Even with the paranoid feelings I’d had when I rushed out of the market and barricaded Matteo and myself in the house.It was stupid, I knew it. If either my father or my husband found us, we’d be dead before we knew what hit us. We would never see it coming. My father was a sick, twisted old man that got off on power and torturing humans. My life was a nightmare after that… until the day I met Alessandro. I thought I found a savior. So wrong!Tilting my head up at the moon, my thoughts traveled across the ocean, searching the memories. The past was left buried and behind us when we ran, but it was harder to forget. It was a
LORENAMy heart skipped a few beats that my father would do this just when I think I'm free of them he manages to get ahead of me.“He had evidence that I’m dead? That doesn’t make any sense.” Although, I’d never put it past my family to proclaim me dead to get their paws on my inheritance. My grandparents had enough sense to secure it all into a trust till my twenty-fifth birthday. Which was coming up rapidly.“I don’t know,” she mumbled. “It pissed me off that he’d rob you of what’s yours. So I sent evidence through a secured mail that you are alive, along with the picture.”It wasn’t a smart thing to do. She knew it, and so did I. But I understood why she did it. I would have probably done the same if our roles were reversed. After all, that inheritance belonged to my son too.“Damn, I hope it’s one of the good pictures,” I replied instead of scolding her. She was beating herself up enough as it was. We locked eyes and burst into fits of giggles. It wasn’t funny that my family p
ALESSANDRO 1 year laterOur home backyard was draped in silence, as we listened to the priest's words, blessing our baby girl. Our little Isabella Paola Moravia, named after my mother and Lorena's grandmother. Dark hair framed her little face, matching her big brother’s and mine. But it was her eyes that had everyone falling all over themselves. She had her mother’s beautiful eyes.My wife. I’d never get sick and tired of saying those two words. She cradled our daughter in her arms, her small body leaning against mine. I studied my wife’s rosy cheeks and dark hair strands flying with the light breeze.This woman was my beginning, my middle, and my end. She was my whole life. This family, blood and non-blood, was what this life was about.“You are staring at me,” she whispered under her breath, so only I could hear it.“You love when I watch you.”And her wide smile was my confirmation. I’d never tire of watching her soft smile and happiness on her beautiful face.The christening
LORENA My whole body jolted out of bed, my breathing labored. I struggled to catch my breath, my eyes darting around looking for anyone lurking in the dark.“Shhh. It’s okay; I’m here.” Alessandro’s voice penetrated through the fog and his face came into focus. “You need to rest.”He watched me with love, his hands gently wrapped around me. Am I dreaming?“Matteo?” I rasped out, my voice cracking. “Ella?”“Ella is safe; she’s with Massimo. Matteo’s safe,” he whispered. “I just checked on him. Our son is safe.”I blinked my eyes. Our son.“Roberto is dead, so are your father and mother. Matteo is safe; so are you.” He leaned forward and placed a kiss on my lips. “I love you, Lorena Moravia.” I love you too. But words refused to leave my mouth. So much has happened since we first met. So many ugly words and memories. My chest felt tight, like someone pressed on it with weights.As if he could read my thoughts, Alessandro reached out and took my hand into his.“Please, Ales ”He stop
ALESSANDRO It took us two fucking hours to get out of the damn city. I checked on my aunt and son, they were safe.“Bring her home, son.” My Zia loved Lorena as her own daughter. We have been family all along, but I was too blinded by rage to see it. Now I knew and I wanted to make it all better, enjoy the rest of my life with her. Have more babies, see Matteo grow up to be a good man. And he would, because he had his mother in him.“I’ll bring her home, Zia,” I promised. “Stay safe and inside with your grandson.” It still felt surreal. “Lorenzo will keep the compound safe. As soon as I have her, I’ll bring her home. She’ll want to see our son safe and happy.”And I’d make her happy. Like I was supposed to be making her happy from the moment we met.Once we got to the old Calvino beach house, I waited for our men to gather. It took another two hours for everything to be put in place. We surveyed the house, found the best angle for the attack and armed up to our teeth. We didn’t k
LORENA “I thought you were married already,” the words escaped me.“I have a mistress, but she won’t interfere.” He chuckled like he just said the most entertaining joke. “Your husband and son, on the other hand. We will have to take care of that.” Then he chuckled, displaying his yellow teeth. “Roberto will take care of that, won’t you?”I kept my face stoic. I couldn’t show any emotions to these people. I knew men like Santos Snr . They relished in destroying what people loved. Just like my mother. Just like my father.I have to kill Roberto. It finally made sense why I saw Roberto in my mom’s dressing room backstage alongside my father.My lips pressed tightly together, I held his gaze. He wanted to see me react. Well, he had another thing coming. I wished he’d hold his breath waiting for my reaction. My back stiff, I refused to even blink.He finally looked away, bored expression on his face as his eyes shifted to Ella.“Now what to do with your friend,” he pondered although the
LORENA My head throbbed with pain, but I ignored it. I couldn’t afford to show any weakness. These people would exploit it.Ella and I kept close to each other, her hand in mine. I refused to have us separated. No matter what. After we were adequately prepared for the auction, like we were some kind of animals, five guards surrounded us and ushered us back into the hallway. My heart thundered, recognizing every inch of it. But with five of them surrounding us, there was no room for escape. Even so, I refused to give up.The hallway here was dark. Ella’s and my heels clicked against the stone floor. My heartbeat was frantic, and I didn’t have to ask my best friend to know hers was too. I swallowed past the lump in my throat.Think about Matteo. Focus on opportunities to escape. Think about Matteo.The hallway ended and large stairs led to the floor below.“No matter what,” I uttered in a hushed voice, “don’t let go of my hand.”With a jerky nod, we slowly descended the stairs, our
ALESSANDRO I’ve watched hundreds of men die. Some I have killed, others were killed by my enemies. Some I remembered, others I didn’t. Some deserved it, others maybe not. But this one did, many times over.Calvino’s body laid at my feet, full of lead. Full of bullets. Some from my gun. Some from Massimo’s. And some from Nico’s.“You good?” Nico’s Russian accent was thick. Needless to say, this man wasn’t his favorite. He tried to get his dirty paws on another man's wife.Enzo and Luca still fought Calvino’s guards and as the shots of bullets flew through the air, the fear dug its claws into my heart. For the first time, I tasted fear of death.Fear for her.My wife.Lorena Moravia.It was an unfamiliar feeling but the pain was razor blade sharp. If Lorena died, the death would claim me too. Because she had taken a big piece of me.I raised my gaze off the dead body of the last Calvino male and watched Enzo aim a gun execution style at the last standing guard.I continued down the m
LORENA “And please don’t try anything. Otherwise, This man here,” she pointed to the guard, “will make things really uncomfortable for you. And there are three other guards outside the door.”There was no doubt that it wasn't an empty threat.“Can we keep our undergarments on while bathing?” I hated that we even had to ask, my pride rebelling at the idea of anyone having any kind of control over what I should or shouldn't do.The woman nodded but no sooner I felt the relief, the guardian interjected. “No! Boss wants them cleaned in detail, their pussy and all.”“We are not cars,” I protested angrily. What kind of bullshit was this?“Either you take it off and get in or I put you in myself,” he threatened and I was sure he meant it.“Well, can you turn around? Or get the fuck out so we can do it in the privacy!” I retorted with a false bravado. “This isn’t a strip club.”He growled and took a threatening step forward. Ella and I took one backwards.“Enough!” The older woman intervene
LORENA “And you, my little bird, have been causing some serious trouble.”“I’d say I’m sorry,” I muttered. “But my parents taught me not to lie.”He grinned with malice. “Oh yes, my son will have so much fun breaking you. There is fire in you that even makes my cock hard.”Terror shot through my veins, but I made sure it didn’t show. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.“I’m surprised at your age you can even get your cock hard,” I taunted. It was stupid, but it was my only weapon at this moment.His cheeks colored red in ugly blotches. Good, I pissed him off.The next instant, however, my cheek exploded in pain, as the guard’s hand struck across my face, hard. I staggered backwards, the back of my knees hitting the bed, and I fell next to Ella. She instantly jolted up and wrapped her hands around me. My cheek burned from the impact, and I felt like my entire face was in flames. My eyes stung, but I refused to let any tears fall, not for this motherfucker, not for his despicable
LORENA She laid her head onto my lap and I sat like a statue, staring out the small window, a glimpse of the freedom so close but so far away. I wasn’t beyond crawling through it and running down the street in my underwear. If I had to choose between that or being sold, I’d pick the former.Ella’s eyes shut and her breathing evened within five minutes. I waited, listening to her breathing while I stared at the dirty concrete walls, then the dirty ground. It was all dirty, like this whole transaction that my family participated in.My grandparents were dead because they tried to protect me. They refused to hand over their granddaughter as some kind of fucked up sacrifice to the mobster gods. I had never been bloodthirsty, but now, I wanted to kill them all.I killed a human being. How did someone move on from that? It stained your soul, whether you wanted it or not. It was the main reason why I only stuck to laundering money during our time in Europe. That was bad enough, but now