Do you think Vincenzo’s crash out is valid? Xoxo 💋
Chapter 53 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ "They know who I am," I whispered to my reflection. "They know everything." My hands shook as I fumbled with the plastic packaging of a new toothbrush. The voices from downstairs carried through the floor—not clearly enough to make out every word, but enough to know they were arguing. About me. About what I was doing here. What was I doing here? Six weeks ago, I was a novice at St. Catherine's, devoted to my path toward taking final vows. Now I was standing in a mafia boss's bathroom after spending the night in his bed, my body still humming from our fornicaton. The vibrator sat on the counter beside me, a humiliating reminder of what had just happened downstairs. The raised voices grew louder, and I caught fragments that made my stomach clench. "...future bride of Christ..." "...leading the poor girl to Hell..." "...the FBI hunts for her..." I abandoned the toothbrush and sank to the floor, wrapping my arms around my knees. Mother Beatrice would
Chapter 54 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ Kidnapped. Again. "There’s a blockade ahead." Someone announced. "Plan B." Nikolai pressed a button on his phone. "Kegan, we need the chopper. Twenty minutes." Chopper? My mouth went dry. Kegan, Vincenzo, and Stacy had taken a separate route, now I knew why. We emerged onto a wider street and Nikolai accelerated through traffic with terrifying precision. I gripped the door handle so tightly my knuckles turned white. "You know how to fly a helicopter?" I asked, trying to sound casual and failing miserably. "Among other things." He said, “But Kegan will fly us.” What couldn't this man do? We drove in tense silence for another fifteen minutes before pulling into what looked like an abandoned garage. Nikolai parked behind a rusted container and killed the engine. "We wait here," he said, checking his watch. "Five minutes." This was insane. "My life has turned into a Jason Bourne movie." He actually laughed at that. “Jason Bourne. You've seen those
Chapter 55 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ Sleep eluded me, and by morning, I was exhausted and irritable. A knock on my door revealed Stacy, already dressed in a flowing sundress that accommodated her pregnant belly. "Rise and shine!" she chirped, far too cheerful for the early hour. "We're going shopping. You need some beach clothes." I looked down at my borrowed t-shirt and jeans. "I'm fine with what I have." Stacy laughed. "Honey, it's 85 degrees outside and you're dressed for a New England fall. Come on, I need the company." Somehow, two hours later, I found myself lying on a beach chair under a giant umbrella, wearing a modest black bikini that still showed more skin than I'd exposed in years. Beside me, Stacy lounged in a red two-piece, her pregnant belly gleaming with sunscreen. "This is the life, isn't it?" she sighed contentedly, sipping a virgin piña colada. "Sun, sand, and no FBI agents in sight." I couldn't help but smile at her irreverence. "Is this how you normally live? Runnin
Chapter 56 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ Entering the convent felt so wrong. A girl in a flowing white habit met me at the entrance, her face drawn with worry. "Mr. Gianni," She whispered urgently. "The FBI was here. They've been questioning everyone." "About Sylvia?" Her eyes darted nervously. "About you, too." Of course. "Mother Beatrice insisted on seeing you despite their... concerns," she continued, leading me through a side corridor. "She's quite distressed." She stopped outside Mother Beatrice’s office, crossing herself before opening the door. "Please be gentle with her. She's not been herself since—" She cut herself off, but I caught the implication. Since Sylvia disappeared. Since Maria disappeared. Both my doing, in different ways. “I’m sorry to hear that.” She shot me a look over her shoulder. “Are you?” I didn’t answer. What could I say? That I’d kidnapped their novice, seduced her, and now had her stashed on my private island while the FBI combed the city for her? That
Chapter 56⟿❂⟾Nikolai⟿❂⟾Travo and Sergei’s funeral was held in a cemetery. And just as expected, Chen was there, pretending to pay respects while watching me through dark sunglasses. The woman was convinced I was involved in Sylvia's disappearance. She wasn't wrong, but she'd never be able to prove it."She's still on you," Viktor murmured, nodding subtly in her direction."Let her look," I replied, adjusting my tie. "That's all she'll ever do."After making a sufficient appearance and leaving Vincenzo and Luigi to handle Sergei’s widow, Manuel and the rest, Viktor drove us to Leandro's shop in the older part of town, wedged between a pawn shop and a fortune teller's parlor. "I'll wait here," Viktor said as I exited the car. He hated Leandro, called him a charlatan. Maybe he was, but after what happened at Eclipse, the man knew better than anyone that he owed me his loyalty—and his life."Gianni," Leandro's accented voice called from the back. "I knew you would come today.""Spar
Chapter 58⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾Nikolai and Vincenzo did not return that day. Or the three days after. Neither did Luigi come.Stacy and I had fallen into a pattern. If there was one thing you didn't have to guess about Stacy, it was the fact that she liked to talk. A lot. After learning she was an only child of a filthy rich widower, raised in the harsh reality of the mafia world, I understood why. Kegan worked on his laptop for most of the time, avoiding us both as much as he could but never being too far away should we need anything. I traced the rim of my glass with my finger, watching ripples form across the surface of the super-cold liquid. I missed my life, as boring as it was. I missed Maeve. I missed Mother Beatrice. I missed not having a lot to be guilty about. Yet, I also missed Nikolai. The phone he gave me lay silent on the table beside me. I'd stopped checking it obsessively yesterday, tired of being disappointed each time the screen remained dark. No messages. No missed c
Chapter 58 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ "Change of plans," she said calmly. "Bathroom. Now." She shoved me toward the en-suite bathroom as another blow hit the door, splintering the frame. "Lock yourself in and don't come out until I call for you." "Stacy—" "Go!" “I can’t! You’re pregnant and that guy looks dangerous!” “Sylvia,” she snapped, “get inside. Now.” “Lord, no,” I wailed. “I can’t let you die! You’ve got a whole baby in there! I’ve only got trauma and unresolved guilt!” She gripped my shoulder and yanked my chin up with surprising strength for someone in her third trimester. “Look at me, Sylvia.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “Nope. If I don’t see the danger, it’s not real.” “Sylvia!” she barked. “We’re both going to die if you don’t quit acting like a Disney princess with a martyr complex, God damn it!” I whimpered. “Holy Mary Mother of—” “She’s not here,” She cut me off, “But you can help us both by letting me live long enough to become one.” “Stacy please, don’t make me do
PROLOGUENIKOLAI⟿❂⟾New York, 7 Years Ago⟿❂⟾“Kill him.”Matteo fucking Gianni, my father, didn’t believe in wasting words, and I didn’t believe in saying them either. He slid the manila folder across like it held nothing more interesting than the lunch menu at his favorite restaurant. Dino Donatello. Mid-40s. Ran weapons and girls out of Staten Island, made deals with anyone who waved a dollar in his face, and skimmed more than his share off our shipments. He’d successfully worked his way into my father’s bad books, and now he’d have to be burned with those books.It was a simple job. Walk in, handle it, walk out. A routine.“Don’t think,” my father added, not even looking at me as he poured himself a glass of scotch. “Just get it done.”I’d learned not to argue with him by the time I turned 15. At 22, I wasn’t stupid enough to start now. So I nodded, took the file, and headed out without another word.The Donatello house was a two-story dump at the edge of a rundown neighborhood.
Chapter 58 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ "Change of plans," she said calmly. "Bathroom. Now." She shoved me toward the en-suite bathroom as another blow hit the door, splintering the frame. "Lock yourself in and don't come out until I call for you." "Stacy—" "Go!" “I can’t! You’re pregnant and that guy looks dangerous!” “Sylvia,” she snapped, “get inside. Now.” “Lord, no,” I wailed. “I can’t let you die! You’ve got a whole baby in there! I’ve only got trauma and unresolved guilt!” She gripped my shoulder and yanked my chin up with surprising strength for someone in her third trimester. “Look at me, Sylvia.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “Nope. If I don’t see the danger, it’s not real.” “Sylvia!” she barked. “We’re both going to die if you don’t quit acting like a Disney princess with a martyr complex, God damn it!” I whimpered. “Holy Mary Mother of—” “She’s not here,” She cut me off, “But you can help us both by letting me live long enough to become one.” “Stacy please, don’t make me do
Chapter 58⟿❂⟾Sylvia⟿❂⟾Nikolai and Vincenzo did not return that day. Or the three days after. Neither did Luigi come.Stacy and I had fallen into a pattern. If there was one thing you didn't have to guess about Stacy, it was the fact that she liked to talk. A lot. After learning she was an only child of a filthy rich widower, raised in the harsh reality of the mafia world, I understood why. Kegan worked on his laptop for most of the time, avoiding us both as much as he could but never being too far away should we need anything. I traced the rim of my glass with my finger, watching ripples form across the surface of the super-cold liquid. I missed my life, as boring as it was. I missed Maeve. I missed Mother Beatrice. I missed not having a lot to be guilty about. Yet, I also missed Nikolai. The phone he gave me lay silent on the table beside me. I'd stopped checking it obsessively yesterday, tired of being disappointed each time the screen remained dark. No messages. No missed c
Chapter 56⟿❂⟾Nikolai⟿❂⟾Travo and Sergei’s funeral was held in a cemetery. And just as expected, Chen was there, pretending to pay respects while watching me through dark sunglasses. The woman was convinced I was involved in Sylvia's disappearance. She wasn't wrong, but she'd never be able to prove it."She's still on you," Viktor murmured, nodding subtly in her direction."Let her look," I replied, adjusting my tie. "That's all she'll ever do."After making a sufficient appearance and leaving Vincenzo and Luigi to handle Sergei’s widow, Manuel and the rest, Viktor drove us to Leandro's shop in the older part of town, wedged between a pawn shop and a fortune teller's parlor. "I'll wait here," Viktor said as I exited the car. He hated Leandro, called him a charlatan. Maybe he was, but after what happened at Eclipse, the man knew better than anyone that he owed me his loyalty—and his life."Gianni," Leandro's accented voice called from the back. "I knew you would come today.""Spar
Chapter 56 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ Entering the convent felt so wrong. A girl in a flowing white habit met me at the entrance, her face drawn with worry. "Mr. Gianni," She whispered urgently. "The FBI was here. They've been questioning everyone." "About Sylvia?" Her eyes darted nervously. "About you, too." Of course. "Mother Beatrice insisted on seeing you despite their... concerns," she continued, leading me through a side corridor. "She's quite distressed." She stopped outside Mother Beatrice’s office, crossing herself before opening the door. "Please be gentle with her. She's not been herself since—" She cut herself off, but I caught the implication. Since Sylvia disappeared. Since Maria disappeared. Both my doing, in different ways. “I’m sorry to hear that.” She shot me a look over her shoulder. “Are you?” I didn’t answer. What could I say? That I’d kidnapped their novice, seduced her, and now had her stashed on my private island while the FBI combed the city for her? That
Chapter 55 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ Sleep eluded me, and by morning, I was exhausted and irritable. A knock on my door revealed Stacy, already dressed in a flowing sundress that accommodated her pregnant belly. "Rise and shine!" she chirped, far too cheerful for the early hour. "We're going shopping. You need some beach clothes." I looked down at my borrowed t-shirt and jeans. "I'm fine with what I have." Stacy laughed. "Honey, it's 85 degrees outside and you're dressed for a New England fall. Come on, I need the company." Somehow, two hours later, I found myself lying on a beach chair under a giant umbrella, wearing a modest black bikini that still showed more skin than I'd exposed in years. Beside me, Stacy lounged in a red two-piece, her pregnant belly gleaming with sunscreen. "This is the life, isn't it?" she sighed contentedly, sipping a virgin piña colada. "Sun, sand, and no FBI agents in sight." I couldn't help but smile at her irreverence. "Is this how you normally live? Runnin
Chapter 54 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ Kidnapped. Again. "There’s a blockade ahead." Someone announced. "Plan B." Nikolai pressed a button on his phone. "Kegan, we need the chopper. Twenty minutes." Chopper? My mouth went dry. Kegan, Vincenzo, and Stacy had taken a separate route, now I knew why. We emerged onto a wider street and Nikolai accelerated through traffic with terrifying precision. I gripped the door handle so tightly my knuckles turned white. "You know how to fly a helicopter?" I asked, trying to sound casual and failing miserably. "Among other things." He said, “But Kegan will fly us.” What couldn't this man do? We drove in tense silence for another fifteen minutes before pulling into what looked like an abandoned garage. Nikolai parked behind a rusted container and killed the engine. "We wait here," he said, checking his watch. "Five minutes." This was insane. "My life has turned into a Jason Bourne movie." He actually laughed at that. “Jason Bourne. You've seen those
Chapter 53 ⟿❂⟾ Sylvia ⟿❂⟾ "They know who I am," I whispered to my reflection. "They know everything." My hands shook as I fumbled with the plastic packaging of a new toothbrush. The voices from downstairs carried through the floor—not clearly enough to make out every word, but enough to know they were arguing. About me. About what I was doing here. What was I doing here? Six weeks ago, I was a novice at St. Catherine's, devoted to my path toward taking final vows. Now I was standing in a mafia boss's bathroom after spending the night in his bed, my body still humming from our fornicaton. The vibrator sat on the counter beside me, a humiliating reminder of what had just happened downstairs. The raised voices grew louder, and I caught fragments that made my stomach clench. "...future bride of Christ..." "...leading the poor girl to Hell..." "...the FBI hunts for her..." I abandoned the toothbrush and sank to the floor, wrapping my arms around my knees. Mother Beatrice would
Chapter 52 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ "Charity project?" Kegan repeated, his eyebrows climbing toward his hairline as he took Sylvia's hand. Instead of shaking it, he brought it to his lips, maintaining eye contact with her the entire time. "How... philanthropic of my cousin." I took three long strides across the room, inserting myself between them. "Sylvia, why don't you go back upstairs? I'll bring you a toothbrush in a minute." She nodded quickly, her face still burning with embarrassment. As she turned to go, the vibrator slipped from behind her back and clattered to the floor with a sound that seemed to echo through the entire penthouse. For a moment, she froze. Then Kegan let out a delighted laugh that bordered on maniacal. "This is why I love this family," he gasped. "There’s always something to laugh about." Sylvia looked as though she might actually combust from shame. I bent down, scooped up the vibrator, and handed it to her with as much dignity as I could muster. "Upstairs,"
Chapter 51 ⟿❂⟾ Nikolai ⟿❂⟾ “He was my friend, Nikolai." Stacy insisted. Vincenzo scoffed. "Well, I didn’t realize you were making friends with my soldiers." I reminded her. "He was more than just your soldier," she insisted. "He was one of the very few people in your entire organization who understood the concept of normal conversation. Do you recall how you both punished them for something I talked them into doing? He let me make smoothies when Vincenzo locked me up in your house and left me for days.” "I thought we were over that chapter already.” Vincenzo mumbled, momentarily distracted. She waved him off. "Not the point right now." He made a noise somewhere between a scoff and a sigh before returning his attention to the window. "I told her it wasn't worth the trip." "And yet here you are," I noted dryly. He shrugged, the movement barely disturbing the perfect lines of his tailored black suit. "She insisted. Said she'd come alone if I was too busy." His eyes met mine