**Warning: Due to sensitive content, readers discretion is advised.**
Emiliana
The cold metal pressed against my throat, the searing sharpness of death was calling to me. All I could think about was the life I hadn’t experienced yet. My life never flashed before my eyes like so many people tell you. It fluttered by me in stagnant images one after the other. Stills of hopes and dreams I was yet to accomplish and live through. Me tied up on the floor wasn’t on it.
“I promised I would kill you last.” Luciano whispered in my ear, enjoying seeing the fear that swam in my irises. “Your Grandfather thought he could get away without paying what is owed.” The blade pressed harder against my skin and I could feel the cold air seep into the tiny cut on my throat.
Carter It had taken me eighteen months to get this far, working the undercover field in my first assignment. I had been watching the Verdi’s carefully, planning my infiltration down to the very millisecond. Everything I had trained for was in preparation for this day. Their drug trafficking was on the government’s radar and had been for years, but The Don’s son was reckless. Letting his emotions get the better of him, he had his eyes set on more than just channeling drugs through another company. He wanted revenge and that was about to interfere with my hard work. “How long until the shipment is loaded?” Don Lorenzo asked me as he continued writing figures down on the paper in front of him. Peeling my arm from my sleeve, I checked my
Emiliana Adrenaline blended with my fear, my heartbeat was almost untraceable, it was beating that fast. I hooked Giovanni’s arm over my neck, gripping his waist and the sheet that was covering my modesty. Stumbling under his heavy weight was a welcome distraction from the pavement that tore at my feet and the guns blazing behind us. Giovanni groaned, aching under my shaky form. Despite the pain he was in, he turned his body, ready to take aim with the gun in his hand while I tried to guide us to the car. It was no use, I wasn’t strong enough. We were slowing down and I could tell from the loud shots firing behind us that Carter wouldn’t be able to hold them off much longer. Through
Emiliana We had been on the road for over an hour, sitting in eerie silence. Giovanni had punched an address into the navigation system before I had the chance to see it and I only had the instructions shouting at me as we navigated out of Paris. Streetlights were replaced with trees and the busy streets turned into empty highways . The entire journey had me on edge. Everytime I passed a car, my breathing would hitch in my throat and my neck would prickle with anticipation. I would glance back in the mirrors waiting for the lights to disappear before releasing the breath I was holding onto. The last thing we needed was someone following and I couldn’t help the morbid thoughts that swirled around my head. There was no way I could out drive someone if we were being followed and Giovanni was in no condition to do so either.
Emiliana Three hours had passed since I had replaced his bandage. As soon as we were nearing the border of Spain, I could physically feel the heat difference. My nerves that were once a wreck had calmed somewhat. I glanced at the dashboard to see the time was almost six in the morning. We had been driving for over five hours and we still had two more to go. I had opened the window, blasting my face with cool air to keep myself awake for the last two hours while Giovanni remained sleeping. I couldn’t risk falling asleep and crashing after getting this far. I spotted an area further up the road to pull over just as the sun began to rise.
EmilianaThe gentle whirring of the ceiling fan that I had been so hypnotized to earlier, brought me back from the land of nod. Blinking back the sleep, I rolled over. The bed was empty and cold, and judging by the crisp sheets beside me I sensed Giovanni probably hadn’t even joined me.I peeled back the fluffy blanket that was draped over me and stepped onto the cool floor. I was surrounded by safe calmness as I wandered around the room, taking in the simple decor.The room was sparse, apart from the clean white wardrobes that sat against the far wall and the lamp atop of a small table to the side of the bed. Just like Giovanni, this room told me nothing about the man.A loud smash caught me off guard and I flung the bedroom door open. Gi
Emiliana “Who are you?” I took a step back and Giovanni could probably sense my trepidation. The room fell silent as his jaw rolled side to side. “It’s a long story.” He huffed aloud, not attempting to hide the irritation in his voice. He rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit I had noticed about him. “Then shorten it.” Giovanni heaved another sigh and I could feel the tether of patience stretching to the point of snapping. I could see the muscles working overtime in his jaw as he thought over his words. “How many more secrets are you hiding from me?” I seethed through gritted teeth, that tether tore away from me like an elastic band. Snapping back into my face.
“We need food.” I called as I searched through the empty cupboards on my tiptoes. There was nothing in them, bar from a few crusty packets of noodles and a take out menu. I knew Giovanni was still attempting to conceal his pain from me and maybe that’s why we hadn’t left the apartment in two days but it was almost ridiculous that Giovanni had described this as a safe place when there were no provisions supplied for our stay. I padded through to the bedroom, catching a glimpse of Giovanni zipping up a black duffel bag. My interest piqued, mostly because Giovanni was looking more shifty and less inconspicuous. “What’s that for?” My eyes investigated the outside of the suspicious looking bag before my hand reached for the zipper. Giovanni rested his hand on top, shaking his head. “Principessa,” he warned me with a raised brow.
Emiliana Giovanni gripped the strangers head, pressing their foreheads together while smiling widely. I had never seen so much relief plaster his face before. “¿Cuánto tiempo ha pasado?” (How long has it been?) The stranger clutched Giovanni in a brotherly embrace. “Demasiado tiempo.” (Too long.) Giovanni answered, his voice muffled by the leather that pressed against his cheek. “You’ve caused quite a stir.” The man glanced at me before releasing Giovanni. They both took a step back, but they were now shaking hands and patting each other on the back. “This one causing trouble?” He nodded in my direction. Giovanni turned to me, now I had two sets of eyes staring me down.
In one effortless swoop, Giovanni scooped me up in his arms, carrying me bridal style to the super king sized bed at the other side of the room. He lowered me to the floor, spinning me round to undo the laced back. His adept fingers made light work and in moments my wedding dress was nothing more than a pool of material at my feet. Giovanni stepped back, drinking in my figure, the way my corset squeezed at my waist and pushed my breasts up. Gazing over every inch of my creamy skin and my lacey underwear left little to his imagination. He licked his lips hungrily, green eyes landing on the white garter gripping at my thigh. Giovanni dropped to his knees, tugging the garter down with his teeth until it fell from my foot. “It’s going to be a long night
Emiliana I could have stayed like that for hours. Even if my eyes closed as I relaxed in Giovanni’s arms, there was nowhere else I wanted to be. I felt my body being lifted from the ground, but my eyes were too heavy to open. The gentle sway of my body lulled me further into my slumber and it wasn’t until I felt my body pressed into soft sheets that I eventually stirred. Giovanni slid in beside me, wrapping me in his arms and never letting go. His breath skated over my neck, soft puffs that caught in my hair. My cheek pressed against his warm bare chest and moved with each inhale and exhale. “I’m getting you home, Emiliana.” Giovanni’s gentle whispers lapped at my ears like a soothing melody, his hands combing through my hair like it was a
Giovanni The doors were weightless compared to the guilt that tore shreds from my chest. I could almost hear my heart breaking under the strain of what I was about to do. My palms were clammy as I turned to my grandfather, every part of me was in conflict. “Abuelo.” (Grandfather.) I cleared my throat. I had no speech prepared or memorised, this was all about to roll off my tongue, freefalling. “¿Qué necesitas?” (What do you need?) He sighed, resting his elbows on his desk. If he wasn’t family, I would have been intimidated by the way he glared at me, peering over his glasses like I was in trouble. “No es para mí,” (It’s not for me,) My voice mumbled, I shuffled my feet hesitantly. “Es para Emil
Emiliana “Are you hurt, Chiquita?” Vinnie crouched down in front of me, his eyes studying me carefully. I didn’t bother to conceal my emotions as the tears fell from my eyes. It was both shock and relief that washed over me like a waterfall, releasing into my tears. I shook my head and in one swift motion Vinnie had me in his arms, carrying me to the car on the other side of the road and placing me in it. Smoke billowed from the hood of the SUV now abandoned in the ditch, the smell of burning rubber permeated my senses and drowned out any other sensation. I fixated on that one smell, the deep charred stench that prevented me from drifting off into my thoughts. Vinnie’s large form paced over to where Giovanni was slumped against a tree, his
Emiliana Giovanni gripped the strangers head, pressing their foreheads together while smiling widely. I had never seen so much relief plaster his face before. “¿Cuánto tiempo ha pasado?” (How long has it been?) The stranger clutched Giovanni in a brotherly embrace. “Demasiado tiempo.” (Too long.) Giovanni answered, his voice muffled by the leather that pressed against his cheek. “You’ve caused quite a stir.” The man glanced at me before releasing Giovanni. They both took a step back, but they were now shaking hands and patting each other on the back. “This one causing trouble?” He nodded in my direction. Giovanni turned to me, now I had two sets of eyes staring me down.
“We need food.” I called as I searched through the empty cupboards on my tiptoes. There was nothing in them, bar from a few crusty packets of noodles and a take out menu. I knew Giovanni was still attempting to conceal his pain from me and maybe that’s why we hadn’t left the apartment in two days but it was almost ridiculous that Giovanni had described this as a safe place when there were no provisions supplied for our stay. I padded through to the bedroom, catching a glimpse of Giovanni zipping up a black duffel bag. My interest piqued, mostly because Giovanni was looking more shifty and less inconspicuous. “What’s that for?” My eyes investigated the outside of the suspicious looking bag before my hand reached for the zipper. Giovanni rested his hand on top, shaking his head. “Principessa,” he warned me with a raised brow.
Emiliana “Who are you?” I took a step back and Giovanni could probably sense my trepidation. The room fell silent as his jaw rolled side to side. “It’s a long story.” He huffed aloud, not attempting to hide the irritation in his voice. He rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous habit I had noticed about him. “Then shorten it.” Giovanni heaved another sigh and I could feel the tether of patience stretching to the point of snapping. I could see the muscles working overtime in his jaw as he thought over his words. “How many more secrets are you hiding from me?” I seethed through gritted teeth, that tether tore away from me like an elastic band. Snapping back into my face.
EmilianaThe gentle whirring of the ceiling fan that I had been so hypnotized to earlier, brought me back from the land of nod. Blinking back the sleep, I rolled over. The bed was empty and cold, and judging by the crisp sheets beside me I sensed Giovanni probably hadn’t even joined me.I peeled back the fluffy blanket that was draped over me and stepped onto the cool floor. I was surrounded by safe calmness as I wandered around the room, taking in the simple decor.The room was sparse, apart from the clean white wardrobes that sat against the far wall and the lamp atop of a small table to the side of the bed. Just like Giovanni, this room told me nothing about the man.A loud smash caught me off guard and I flung the bedroom door open. Gi
Emiliana Three hours had passed since I had replaced his bandage. As soon as we were nearing the border of Spain, I could physically feel the heat difference. My nerves that were once a wreck had calmed somewhat. I glanced at the dashboard to see the time was almost six in the morning. We had been driving for over five hours and we still had two more to go. I had opened the window, blasting my face with cool air to keep myself awake for the last two hours while Giovanni remained sleeping. I couldn’t risk falling asleep and crashing after getting this far. I spotted an area further up the road to pull over just as the sun began to rise.