{INGRID'S POV}**āPut your hands above your head,ā he tells me.I do, looking into his eyes as I obey.My mind turns to the first time I saw him when I awoke in here. I can practically feel his hands on me as he holds me down, the intense powerlessness I felt at their touch.I breathe deeply, calming the emotions that race through me at the thought.I feel his hands on my wrists, pushing them together. The tie slides around them, the same fabric as before caressing my sensitive skin. I feel as it begins to tighten and look up to watch.He binds my wrists tightly, securing them with practiced hands.I give them a tug, experimenting with the length. The constraint leaves me feeling utterly powerless, and I wonder at the spark that spreads through me at the thought of it.I turn to find his eyes. They pierce me in question.I answer with my own, my chest heaving in anticipation. I
{INGRID'S POV} * * Sharp, threatening voices wake me up the next morning. I stir from my sleep, waking up in a heap on the floor. I must have rolled over from the mat. My bones are aching from the position I slept in still, and I realize I must have fallen asleep sometime during the night. Wait. Hold up. I feel somewhere else too. Ohā¦yeah. Uncle. Uncle and I had sex. What's that pain? I look up to my wrists. The bind. The bind have rubbed my skin raw and my sleeping arrangement made my whole body sore and tense the more. Why didn't he take off the bind? But the most important thing right now are the voices. I hear them out in the hallway, deep and unfamiliar. And I think they're coming towardsā¦ here. I crawl into the corner of the room and pull up Mr. Giovanni's leather coat. He must have left it here after weā¦, probabl
{GIOVANNIāS POV}**So, I left her.It wasnāt like I didnāt have a choice. I couldāve stayed back with her. Hell, a part of me wanted to. But I just... I just walked away.She knew my name, but I didnāt bother learning hers. Why would I? She was just a kid. Well, legal, barely 18, so no problem there, right? Thatās how it goes. First time, one time. No strings, no complications.She wasnāt special. To me, she was just another warm body in a long, forgettable list of bitches. Names? Faces? They didnāt matter when you lived a shitty life as mine. So, in summary, thanks to my shitty life, I took what I wanted. When I wanted. And moved on.But damn. There was something about her.Not love or anything stupid like that; letās not get carried away. But there was this way she looked at me, like she saw past the bullshit. Like she could strip me down to nothing with just her eyes.It pissed me of
{EDMONDOāS POV} * * If there's anything I hate about myself, it's the lack of patience towards bastards. I hate chasing ghosts. The Irish Consigliere; a slippery bastard, is the kind of problem I like to solve immediatelyā¦ with a bullet. Fast, simple, no bullshit. But here I am, trudging through this piss-soaked tunnel, hunting him down because my men couldnāt catch him outright. The underground reeks of rot, mildew, and something worse. Darkness. They all cling to my suit like a second skin. This isnāt where a man like me: The Don belongs, no, I should be sitting in the estate, drinking my scotch and celebrating the little blocks I've set for the empire I'm building. But ghosts donāt respect empires. They sneak in, lurk and poke around, and see how much they can steal before they vanish. And this ghost? Iāll make sure he vanis
{EDMONDO'S POV} * * The bastardās trying to rile me up. And itās working. My hand itches to reach for my knife. But I hold back. Not yet. Not here. He surely didn't come here to hug but to attack. āYouāve got balls, Iāll give you that,ā I say, my voice is low and cutting. āBut balls wonāt save you when youāre six feet under.ā āAh, but Iāve no intention of being buried tonight,ā he replies, his smile fading as his eyes harden. āI came here to talk.ā Talk? āTalk?ā I spit the word out like it tastes bad. āThe Irish donāt talk. You threaten, you scheme, and you stab people in the back. So, cut the bullshit and tell me why youāre really here.ā Donnelly shrugs. His movements are quite slow. Slow like a poison but delib
{LUIGIāS POV}**You donāt crawl back to Edmondo Dā Avi. Not after youāve fucked up like I did. And definitely not unless youāve got a death wish.I lurk in the shadows now, watching him from a distance like some pathetic ghost. I donāt deserve to stand in his light anymore, not after the shitstorm I brought down on him with Massimo. But I still love him. Iād still kill for him. Maybe one day Iāll even die for him. Thatās all Iāve got left to offer; a loyalty he doesnāt even fucking know is still here.The tunnelās cold and damp. This is the kind of place where rats thrive and bodies disappear. I blend into the dark like a goddamn phantom, watching Edmondo square off with the Irish Consigliere.Donnelly.Iāve heard his name whispered in back rooms and barrooms. The Irish Consigliere is a legend. A man with a silver tongue and an iron fist. Heās sharp as a switchblade and
{CARA'S POV} * * āIs PapĆ waiting for me?ā I ask, my grip tightening on the door handle, and my pulse rising. Iām not sure I want to hear what he has to say. But I need to. 'Cara, youāre my only child now. By my side, youāll hold the future of this family in your hands.' I can almost see it; my life shifting, closing in, and heavy duty falling heavily on me. We arenāt just an average family. Weāre La Rosas. Power and blood - itās what weāre built on. Iāve known it since before I could even talk. Trust no one. Donāt back down. Never apologize. But tonight, somethingās changed. Agata, my sister, is gone, taken by this war, and now the Gambinos, Da Costas, De Lucasā¦ theyāre out for blood. Theyāll come for me next to destroy the family whole. āMiss Cara, your father has been waiting,ā PapĆ ās assistant says, opening the door to his study. The thick scent of cigars and leather hits me, comforting, familiar, but tonight, the air feels differentā¦ tense, sharp. āDaughter.ā His
{EDMONDO'S POV} [HOURS AGO] * * The estate looms ahead, its iron gates dulled by the fading sunlight. This place has never felt like home.. not with the life we live. My grip tightens on the steering wheel, knuckles blanching as I roll the car to a stop. Dropping Rossa off at her grandma's was calculated. Necessary. Her safety isnāt something I gamble with, not with wolves circling. But the unease in her eyes before I leftā¦ it gnaws at me, like a silent accusation. 'Why didnāt you tell me sooner?' Because some truths donāt protect... they haunt. I step out of the car. The air carries the faint smell of wet stone and tobacco, mixing with the oppressive silence. Giovanni is waiting, as expected, leaning lazily against the gate with his signature smirk plastered on his face like he doesnāt give a million fucks about the world. āSo,ā he drawls, voice light but laced with venom. āYouāre playing knight now? Shielding the damsel from the big bad wolves?ā I donāt answer. Ther
{LUIGIāS POV}**You donāt crawl back to Edmondo Dā Avi. Not after youāve fucked up like I did. And definitely not unless youāve got a death wish.I lurk in the shadows now, watching him from a distance like some pathetic ghost. I donāt deserve to stand in his light anymore, not after the shitstorm I brought down on him with Massimo. But I still love him. Iād still kill for him. Maybe one day Iāll even die for him. Thatās all Iāve got left to offer; a loyalty he doesnāt even fucking know is still here.The tunnelās cold and damp. This is the kind of place where rats thrive and bodies disappear. I blend into the dark like a goddamn phantom, watching Edmondo square off with the Irish Consigliere.Donnelly.Iāve heard his name whispered in back rooms and barrooms. The Irish Consigliere is a legend. A man with a silver tongue and an iron fist. Heās sharp as a switchblade and
{EDMONDO'S POV} * * The bastardās trying to rile me up. And itās working. My hand itches to reach for my knife. But I hold back. Not yet. Not here. He surely didn't come here to hug but to attack. āYouāve got balls, Iāll give you that,ā I say, my voice is low and cutting. āBut balls wonāt save you when youāre six feet under.ā āAh, but Iāve no intention of being buried tonight,ā he replies, his smile fading as his eyes harden. āI came here to talk.ā Talk? āTalk?ā I spit the word out like it tastes bad. āThe Irish donāt talk. You threaten, you scheme, and you stab people in the back. So, cut the bullshit and tell me why youāre really here.ā Donnelly shrugs. His movements are quite slow. Slow like a poison but delib
{EDMONDOāS POV} * * If there's anything I hate about myself, it's the lack of patience towards bastards. I hate chasing ghosts. The Irish Consigliere; a slippery bastard, is the kind of problem I like to solve immediatelyā¦ with a bullet. Fast, simple, no bullshit. But here I am, trudging through this piss-soaked tunnel, hunting him down because my men couldnāt catch him outright. The underground reeks of rot, mildew, and something worse. Darkness. They all cling to my suit like a second skin. This isnāt where a man like me: The Don belongs, no, I should be sitting in the estate, drinking my scotch and celebrating the little blocks I've set for the empire I'm building. But ghosts donāt respect empires. They sneak in, lurk and poke around, and see how much they can steal before they vanish. And this ghost? Iāll make sure he vanis
{GIOVANNIāS POV}**So, I left her.It wasnāt like I didnāt have a choice. I couldāve stayed back with her. Hell, a part of me wanted to. But I just... I just walked away.She knew my name, but I didnāt bother learning hers. Why would I? She was just a kid. Well, legal, barely 18, so no problem there, right? Thatās how it goes. First time, one time. No strings, no complications.She wasnāt special. To me, she was just another warm body in a long, forgettable list of bitches. Names? Faces? They didnāt matter when you lived a shitty life as mine. So, in summary, thanks to my shitty life, I took what I wanted. When I wanted. And moved on.But damn. There was something about her.Not love or anything stupid like that; letās not get carried away. But there was this way she looked at me, like she saw past the bullshit. Like she could strip me down to nothing with just her eyes.It pissed me of
{INGRID'S POV} * * Sharp, threatening voices wake me up the next morning. I stir from my sleep, waking up in a heap on the floor. I must have rolled over from the mat. My bones are aching from the position I slept in still, and I realize I must have fallen asleep sometime during the night. Wait. Hold up. I feel somewhere else too. Ohā¦yeah. Uncle. Uncle and I had sex. What's that pain? I look up to my wrists. The bind. The bind have rubbed my skin raw and my sleeping arrangement made my whole body sore and tense the more. Why didn't he take off the bind? But the most important thing right now are the voices. I hear them out in the hallway, deep and unfamiliar. And I think they're coming towardsā¦ here. I crawl into the corner of the room and pull up Mr. Giovanni's leather coat. He must have left it here after weā¦, probabl
{INGRID'S POV}**āPut your hands above your head,ā he tells me.I do, looking into his eyes as I obey.My mind turns to the first time I saw him when I awoke in here. I can practically feel his hands on me as he holds me down, the intense powerlessness I felt at their touch.I breathe deeply, calming the emotions that race through me at the thought.I feel his hands on my wrists, pushing them together. The tie slides around them, the same fabric as before caressing my sensitive skin. I feel as it begins to tighten and look up to watch.He binds my wrists tightly, securing them with practiced hands.I give them a tug, experimenting with the length. The constraint leaves me feeling utterly powerless, and I wonder at the spark that spreads through me at the thought of it.I turn to find his eyes. They pierce me in question.I answer with my own, my chest heaving in anticipation. I
{INGRID'S POV}**His touch sends fire racing through my skin. Sparks burn through me in a high blaze.Every touch of his fingers, every flick of his tongue, and Iām burning up and I canāt find it in me to care.I never knew that anything could be as intense as the pleasure racing through me now. One moment Iām unthinking, lost in it completely. The next Iām so overwhelmed, I feel the need to run away.How much can I possibly take?No oneās ever touched me the way Mr. Giovanni is now. No one has ever looked at me with the fire presently burning through his brown eyes. I feel ready to collapse under that gaze.This man is more than I ever thought a person capable of being. With every movement, with every touch, heās showing me that I am not alone.Loneliness has always been my phobia, my hate.. but Mr. Giovanni.. no, Uncle is telling me, showing me that I'm not alone now.I scream āUn
{GIOVANNI'S POV}**āThat was a stupid move, bambina (little girl). A bloody stupid move,ā I say, not knowing what else to say or how to just get her in there and pull away and end this cat and mouse rubbish.Though, I want to be with her. That's why I left Edmondo and came here.I want to finish what weāve just started too.She looks at me with rage and fear all over her face and demeanor. āJust let me go. I owe you nothing and all you want to do is take advantage of me.āShe looks at me, daring me to say the truth. She knows it, and I know it. Weāre walking the faint line between lust and abomination. I knew from the moment I set eyes on her, loosing her cool and yelling for someone to save her sister, that she was going to be different and nice to own.This is lust. Compared to loveā¦ thisā¦ lustā¦ Itās a lot more complicated than I ever wouldāve thought. I pull
{INGRID'S POV}**The tension in the air is really palpable. The atmosphere is electric. I want him to touch me. I want him to do bad things to me. And I know it's so damn wrong, but I just can't resist. He's done something to me, definitely. He has messed with my head and played with my heart. All on the first day.It's like I'm the puppet and he's pulling on every one of my strings.He's breathing heavily, and he gently pushes down my panties until my hip bones poke out. I hiss as the air hits my skin. Mr. Giovanni groans when his fingers connect with my feverish body. "God," he says. "So fucking delicious. So damn wrong. I can't resist. I'm sorry, bambina, but I'm not even going to try to resist."With that, his fingers push off my white lacy panties and I arch my back, helping him along. What the hell am I doing? I don't even know him!Alarm bells are going off in my