LORENA“You already said you won’t believe anything I say, so why should I bother? Since you obviously stole my gun here with a sole mission in mind—killing me with it. Why don’t you get on with it?”“You asshole…” My voice breaks before I recover it. “You won’t even try?”“You’re my only wife. I only wanted to reach an agreement with your family due to that fact. I went behind your back because I knew you’d never allow such a meeting to happen. I didn’t try to kill you and never will. I’ve been going fucking crazy for the past couple of months until the moment Luca said you were alive. I only half believed him until I saw you in Tuscany. There. I tried. Do you believe me and the fake marriage with Simona was to convince the older Don to relinquish power to me?”He says the words with an ease that’s hard to take seriously, let alone believe.He’s telling me what I want to hear just so he can play with me again.Fool me again.This time, kill me for real.He takes another step forward.
ALESSANDRO The scent of my wife drove me insane. Her aroused scent made my mouth water, like I have been deprived of food and water for centuries. Her slick sweetness was all around me. I had lost my mind to do this in the hallway, with my friends behind the office door. But I didn’t give a fuck, as long as they didn’t see her. I wanted them to know she was mine.“Alessandro ,” she cried out as my tongue slid up her slit. The restless, ruthless beast inside me finally retreated, satisfied with Lorena on my tongue.Fuck, she tasted so damn good. Like my woman!Sucking on one of her pussy lips, I wiggled my tongue around her bud. Her body hummed with need, twisting under my mouth. The moans filling the hallway made it abundantly clear what we were doing.Her fingernails raked through my hair, scraping against my scalp as I devoured her. Keening sounds rasped from my wife’s lips, her pussy on my face. I would die a happy man, just like this. With her taste on my tongue.I nipped at h
ALESSANDRO “Okay, back to the business at hand,” I stopped all this bird flipping. “Do we have any update on fucking Calvino and what he is doing?”Giovanni grabbed his glass and took a drink. “I have a little bit more detail on the Romano connection to the trafficking.”Giovanni, or the Wolf, as we called him, had an unkeen way of finding out details on everything and everyone. We called him the Wolf because the bastard had the instincts of a wolf. He was highly intelligent, sometimes a loner, dominant, but above all loyal. Except that his family fucked him over - it certainly seemed a running theme around here.“We are all ears,” I told my friend.“Now take this with a grain of salt since there is no hard evidence,” Giovanni started. “The Calvino Family is old, they go back at least two centuries here in the States. So does the Calvino family and they have been shipping girls all over the world for Auctioning to Mobsters and members of the mafia worldwide.” Enzo nodded. “No, I a
LORENA I couldn’t believe I let Alessandro ravish me in the hallway. I was so mad at myself.After I went to grab a new pair of panties, I went in the direction of Matteo’s playroom. Being around him always grounded me. He was my reminder to get through this. It was all for him.Opening the door softly in case he was napping, I was surprised to find Alessandro’s aunt sitting on the couch, building a wooden train set with Matteo.They both had wide smiles on their faces, speaking Italian. Neither one of them heard me come in.“What are my two favorite men doing?” I asked, startling them both. Matteo stood up and ran to me, hugging my legs. I lowered down onto my knee and wrapped my arms around him.“We are building the biggest train tracks,” Alessandro’s aunt announced. “Want to help us?”“Sure, I’d love to.” I pressed a kiss on my son’s forehead. “What do you say, Matteo?”He eagerly pulled me along, and I sat in between the two of them. Matteo immediately handed me parts, putting
LORENA I was sure if I ran into him in the dark alley, I’d run the other way. He looked like a total badass. “Giovanni and Alessio.” The latter two were more clean cut than Enzo and Luca but still gorgeous specimens. I hated to admit it but these guys were devastatingly handsome. Of course, none of them compared to Alessandro , but they were pretty close. And every single one of them was dangerous. There was this air of ruthlessness about them. They smiled but it was all a facade. They’d kill you just as easily as smile. “And you know Alessandro ,” Zia added, chuckling.“Unfortunately,” I muttered.“You didn’t think so earlier,” my husband retorted with a smug grin, and instantly my cheeks burned with embarrassment. I fucking hated this guy. I really did.Yeah, keep telling yourself that.Although there was a smile on his full lips, I couldn’t decipher the look in his eyes. He stared at me with hunger or threat. Maybe those two were the same since either would shatter me.“Nice to
LORENA Thank God I didn’t have a girl. She might have been kidnapped and auctioned off to the highest bidder.From all the imaginable thoughts and worries, that was the one that mattered the most to me. How could my family do this, to their own flesh and blood? The worst part was that my mother has been running it all and had no qualms sending me to pay our family’s generational debt. Who even does that? It sounded like some bad movie.“We have to run,” I muttered and my heart clenched. Two nights back was all it took for them to find us. It would be hard to disappear again. But now that they knew about Matteo, we were running out of time. I wanted a happy life for him, not one on the run. I swallowed hard, knowing what I needed to do but just not having the strength to follow through.“Yes, we have to run. But it will be hard this time. We need new identities, everything. It will take time, and I’m not sure if we have that kind of time.”I hated my family. I knew my father was
LORENA “We’ll make it seem like a coincidence we ran into Ethan,” I added.“As long as your father is not with him,” Ella muttered under her breath.“I guess if they are both there, maybe we should kill them both,” I retorted dryly, changing my earlier opinion. We might as well go all the way to hell. “God, how did we become this?” I muttered.“We’ve been dealt some shitty cards.” Now, that was an understatement of the century. Our families with some fucked up agreement, offering their daughters up to criminals. “But hey, at least we found each other.”I smiled softly at her statement. Despite all the things that happened, I was glad it brought us together“And that’s priceless.” I meant it too. Ella and I have been through so much; to hell and back together. “Okay, let’s start with Ethan. I’ll put a will in place and have a contingency plan for Matteo in case shit goes awry. Let’s focus on getting some information from Ethan Anything that would hurt my father. And we’ll swipe a few
LORENA “Luca, take my seat,” Alessandro ordered him, barely keeping his anger at bay. What the hell was this man’s problem?Luca muttered something under his breath, but I didn’t catch it. Each grabbed their plates and swapped seats. I caught Ella’s pointed look, as if she was telling me I told you so. I shrugged my shoulders, half tempted to stick my tongue at her.“I’m not sitting on your lap either, Alessandro ,” I told him. And damn it if I didn’t feel my chest warm up and knew blush spread on my chest, neck and cheeks. I hated that my body temperature constantly skyrocketed around him. “So scoot over and bring me another chair.”“ahhh, you two sound like an old married couple.” It was Giovanni that spoke. I narrowed my eyes at him. His tan complexion spoke of his Italian heritage, similarly to Alessandro ’s. Giovanni appeared clean cut, but I could see hints of ink under his cufflinks. Probably a wolf dressed in fine clothing.“Would all of you just mind your own damn busin
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