AnnaThe sound of horns and distant car engines were the first noise I heard as I woke.I looked around and it was dark now and we were parked in a deserted field.“What's going on?” I asked, glancing around, my heart beating against my chest. “Whee are we?*There were three of us in the car. None of which was Azeal. Just strange faces.“Somewhere in Venice,” one of the men answered in a bored tone.“Why are we here?” I asked.“God damn, she asks a lot of questions,” another one of the men snapped.“Can't blame her.” the third man with the golden blonde hair replied.My heart pounded violently but not out of fear, out of stress.I forced myself to breathe, but it wasn't working “He should be here any moment now,” one of them saodz looking out the window. He had a tracking device in hand.“Who?’ I demanded eyes darting between the men. I was still restrained by handcuffs, I couldn't move much.“Shhh,”I opened my mouth to yell at the one that had told me to shut up when the sound of
AnnaDuncan’s lips fell on mine, kissing me hard and passionately like he had been thirsting and I was water.“I love you so much,” he groaned.“I thought I lost you,” I said, holding him tight as I kissed him roughly.“Never,”I broke the kiss, looking up at him. I couldn't believe it was him.“It's really you, you're alive. H…how? How is this possible?” I asked, touching his face.“It's a miracle,” he breathed, his filled with different emotions. Emotions that were almost never there.I shook my head, unable to believe it.“I saw you die, Duncan. How are you alive?”I asked more sternly.I searched his face and realized there something was missing. There were no bullet wounds. None at all.“Your bullet wounds, they are gone. How?” I asked with wide eyes.Something wasn't right here.“Anna, can we just have this moment? I almost lost you…” he pleaded but I wasn't about to gloss over the fact that the man I had seen die was here, alive and without a single scar of his wound.“Well, I
Chapter one14 years ago.The darkness that surrounded AVIANA under her bed did nothing to alleviate the shaking in her bones and pounding in her chest. Her mouth was clamped shut with her hands and she was doing everything in her power not to be noticed just like her mother had said to her but it was hard especially when she could hear her heart beating loudly in her chest.The tension in the room grew to a degree that was unbeatable and all she could do was watch and wait like he mother had instructed her to.She watched in complete helplessness as the strange men in her mother's bedroom became more aggressive with their words, cursing out her mother in a thick accent she couldn't place. She'd seen them before. Once or twice. Her mom called them friends but she'd always felt something wasn't quite right about them and could never fathom how she'd become friends with men like that..The yelling continued and Aviana heard her mother began to beg them but they didn't seem to want to
Chapter 2–AvianaHow did people become Alcoholics?.Whiskey tasted like shit!.Aviana thought as she took another bold gulp of the whiskey.She was trying to drown out her sorrows with it but all it did was made her lose respect for whiskey drinkers. It was either they were serial killers or had a taste bud made of steel.She couldn't understand why the chief didn't give her the case. She was the perfect fit for it.She'd spent her entire life spying on the iron vine and she'd gathered a lot of information. Granted, it had only been a year and a half since she became a Detective and yes, maybe Salone had six years on her but she was still the better fit for the job.To her, taking her case and giving it to Salone felt like taking the ocean and giving it to a monkey and putting the fishes in an aquarium.It made no sense. She had to get back her case or she'd never be able to take out her revenge on her mother's killer.As she took another sip of her whiskey, She turned around and not
Çhapter 3—Aviana“Fuck!” Aviana whispered as she watched the situation play out behind the dumpster between Curo and the new men that had just arrived.She'd just wanted to see the boss of the iron vine. She didn't think she'd be caught in a shoot out for fuck sakes!Curo and his mate drew out their weapons and began to fire.In a blur of motion, Curo’s mate fell to the floor as he took a shot to the head while Curo yelled out loud for his partner—Lucas to wake up.Aviana counted the men that had appeared. There were only three of them.Her first instinct was to call for backup but she thought about it and realized that helping them out would destroy her chances of getting the info she needed She had to gain their trust somehow.Without thinking it through, she leaped out from behind the dumpster she was hiding just when the assailant was about to shoot Curo, she did the unthinkable, something she'd never done before…She fired her gun.The man fell to the ground, screaming in pain.
Chapter 4 Aviana Aviana’s heart thumped faster faster than she could catch her breath The redhead had been here just a minute ago.Where the hell did he go?How could he even move?She wondered, looking around in confusion. No sign of him.This didn't make any sense…She proceeded towards her bedroom, her gun in hand now. He couldn't have gone far.She came back to the living room and then made her way to the backdoor where she found that her backdoor was slightly ajar. It was then she noticed the trail of blood leading to the door.Something was up and she didn't like what her mind was telling her.Knowing he couldn't have gotten far, she marched towards the door and carefully opened it, afraid that he might be lurking around somewhere or worse, someone had come to get him or something and he was lurking somewhere ready to kill her. There was no way he'd be able to walk out of here with his leg and hands injured.She scanned the yard, her senses on high alert.The night air seem
Chapter 5 Aviana Aviana Grey adjusted the hem of her fitted blazer, her pulse steady despite the weight of the moment.The grand estate of the Iron vine towered over her like an imposing force weighing down on her confidence, showing just a little of what was to come as soon as she stepped inside the gate or the mansion.She stepped forward, her heels clicking against the pavement, exuding the confidence of a woman who belonged. Infiltrating the most feared mafia family on the East Coast required more than just a flawless résumé—it demanded a mask, and Aviana had perfected hers.The guard on the left stopped just as she was about to enter through the gates.“Name?*“Anna reed, I'm here for the interview. Lucas is expecting me,” she said smoothly, handing over a forged ID.The man inspected it before nodding towards the intercomA brief exchange occurred between him and someone on the other side before the huge black gate opened.As soon as she stepped into the eststez she felt the im
PLEASE, PERMIT THE CHANGE OF POV. LOTS OF LOVE GUYSSS!AVIANA:I blinked up at the god-like man that had just called me mate?What on earth did that mean?I didn't have time to think about it because he began to walk towards me, his presence intense and fear inducing. I took a step back as he got closer, feeling some type of strange energy around himAlthough I wanted to run as fast as I could away from him, I couldn't help but feel a pull between us.He stopped just a feet shy in front of me and I sucked in a breath. He was handsome, the type of handsome that was cutting to look at. Sharp and delicious. There was something about him too that made me want to close the distance between us."Anna Reed, You say? " he said sharply , his eyes narrowed into slits and his nostrils flared."Y...yes, sir.," I said, my mouth suddenly dry."Hmmm. Take her away, Lucas, we won't be needing her services,” he said and turned away.My eyes widened in shock. Was he not going to take me?I couldn't
AnnaDuncan’s lips fell on mine, kissing me hard and passionately like he had been thirsting and I was water.“I love you so much,” he groaned.“I thought I lost you,” I said, holding him tight as I kissed him roughly.“Never,”I broke the kiss, looking up at him. I couldn't believe it was him.“It's really you, you're alive. H…how? How is this possible?” I asked, touching his face.“It's a miracle,” he breathed, his filled with different emotions. Emotions that were almost never there.I shook my head, unable to believe it.“I saw you die, Duncan. How are you alive?”I asked more sternly.I searched his face and realized there something was missing. There were no bullet wounds. None at all.“Your bullet wounds, they are gone. How?” I asked with wide eyes.Something wasn't right here.“Anna, can we just have this moment? I almost lost you…” he pleaded but I wasn't about to gloss over the fact that the man I had seen die was here, alive and without a single scar of his wound.“Well, I
AnnaThe sound of horns and distant car engines were the first noise I heard as I woke.I looked around and it was dark now and we were parked in a deserted field.“What's going on?” I asked, glancing around, my heart beating against my chest. “Whee are we?*There were three of us in the car. None of which was Azeal. Just strange faces.“Somewhere in Venice,” one of the men answered in a bored tone.“Why are we here?” I asked.“God damn, she asks a lot of questions,” another one of the men snapped.“Can't blame her.” the third man with the golden blonde hair replied.My heart pounded violently but not out of fear, out of stress.I forced myself to breathe, but it wasn't working “He should be here any moment now,” one of them saodz looking out the window. He had a tracking device in hand.“Who?’ I demanded eyes darting between the men. I was still restrained by handcuffs, I couldn't move much.“Shhh,”I opened my mouth to yell at the one that had told me to shut up when the sound of
Anna“You must be hungry,” Azeal said as he barged into the weird bdsm room he'd placed me.I glanced up to find him holding a tray of food and water. The smell of chicken and pasta wafted into my nose. My mouth watered but I ignored it. There was no way in hell I was eating anything from these bastards. For all I knew it was poisoned and even if it wasn't, it would be stupid of me to eat from the plate of the enemy.“I do not want your food.” I spat I glared at him. He had changed into something else now. Something casual…“You're just as stubborn as your mother.. it's like looking into the past,”He said as soon as he placed the plate on the steel table.“What do you know about my mother?” I asked, my lips dry. I had not had any water in over thirty six hours and I was slowly drying up. But I knew I needed to get as much information I could from him. He was bound to slip up.“Everything, Anna. Everything there is to know about her.”“What are you to her?”“Now, that's something
AnnaThe suspense was killing me. Not knowing what was going on–who these people were or how they knew my mother or how they knew me made me uncomfortable.It was terrifying to realize that someone out there knew me in and out. Had information about my life, my secrets, my pain, my past, things no one should know. Things even I had tried to forget.And they had it all. Every piece of me laid out like a map.I had to be careful with them. If I wanted to know the truth, my truth, my heritage–, these people were the key. This wasn’t just about revenge anymore. It wasn’t just about killing the men who murdered my mother.It was about understanding why.Why she died.Why I was dragged into this world.Why I never really belonged anywhere.And then, Duncan.Was he truly alive?He couldn't be. No, I didn't believe it. I had seen the bullet tear through his neck,that alone was fatal but his head, he was dead.That realization hit harder than anything I had ever felt. Like someone was saw
Anna “You're lying,” I seethed, my eyes wide.“And why would I do that?” he scoffed.“You have me tied to a chair, I make it a habit not to trust my abductors,” I grouted out, staring daggers at him. The only reason the bastard was still alive was because I was still a little disoriented, not to mention chained to a bloody chair.“If I'm lying. How would I know your real name? Or how your mother died or the people who killed him. How would I know you killed one of the men that killed her many years ago but have not been able to find the other three?”“Who are you?”“Not important,”“How do you know my mother? Why was she killed,”“Tsk, tsk, tsk. I'll answer your questions, all you have to do is agree to my terms and I'll give you every and any information I have on your mother, including your father's whereabouts,”“He's alive?”He grinned. “I'll not be answering that.”“What do you want?”I gritted out again, trying not to yell.“Simple. What you are already doing. I need you to
Anna “Fuck you!” A strange but muffled voice sounded from a distance, waking me from a slumber I didn't remember falling into.“I'll put a bullet through your skull and send you to mom and dad,”“Try it….” One of them said and then switched to a language I didn't understand…Italian?They yelled at each other and at some point, the sound of shattering glass followed The voices were still muffled, barely audible but they were louder than before. My eyes opened and I felt my head pound angrily, protesting at the ache clawing at my brain.“What the hell?” I groaned in pain.I blinked and opened my eyes to find a black door in front of me. My vision was a little fuzzy, like I had just woken up from a sedated sleep.I glanced around and shuddered. The room was huge and around me were a bunch of heavy chains, chains like the one I had seen at Red velvet weeks ago. Only this one looked more severe. This was definitely not a kink room. It was meant to hold something.Dogs? I had no idea bu
Anna"You okay?" Duncan asked, pulling out my chair like we were in some old Mafia movie. All that was missing was a violinist playing something tragic in the background.We were seated in the private section of the restaurant. And by private, I mean so quiet I could hear my own anxiety tap dancing. It was gorgeous though-glass, chandeliers, candlelight, and waiters dressed better than me. Definitely destroy your credit score kind of place "Yeah," I said, slipping into the chair with a smile.Duncan leaned down and kissed my cheeks before sliding into the seat across from me. I shot him a look."What was that for?""Felt like it," he said with a shrug that was way too confident. "Also, you looked like you were about to faint. Thought I'd bring you back to Earth. Besides, I can tell your body is still hungry for mine. You know it's not too late to make you cum. There's a beautiful private bathroom here.”“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Looks like someone is projecting. Still hard from our little ses
Anna“Where are we going?’ I asked Duncan hours later as I watched him walk towards me completely naked with a tray containing a glass of juice.“Thanks,” I smiled, plucking the drink out of the tray and taking a sip. I was honestly enjoying our time together. More than I should. The sex was amazing, and he was being extremely romantic, which I found incredibly funny.I took a sip of my drink.“To dinner.”“But I thought we were just going to have room service here…”“Indeed, but the night is meant to be special and romantic.”I chuckled. “Trust me, there's nothing more romantic than being in Venice with my very insane boss.”“Hmm. I love it when you call me boss; it makes my dick hard as fuck.”I rolled my eyes at him. “Do you always only think of sex?”“No, unfortunately,” he replied as he lowered himself on the bed.“Unfortunately?” I raised a questioning brow at him.“Yes. I'm not used to being this… happy or relaxed.”“Relaxed?” I asked.“Yes. It's strange, but you make me feel r
AnnaAfter the incident at the canal, Duncan took us back to a quiet cafe. He insisted that everything was okay, but for some reason, I doubted it. He looked worried. He especially looked like he knew exactly what was going on or at least had a feeling.I had no basis for my doubt other than that I could just feel he was holding back.It sounded insane to me too, but it was true.I also felt a bit uneasy, and the feelings didn't feel like mine; they felt like someone else's, like his. Like that feeling I had when we were at the auction house and he was telling me about his father.Duncan's phone rang just as he was about to open his mouth to speak–probably to ask why I was so quiet or if I was okay.He looked down at his phone and then glanced up at me, a sheepish look on his face.“I need to take this.” He stood up from the booth and walked away with his usual polished grace that was also roguish and rough and rugged in a weird way. He was the only one that could pull this off. I to