GIOVANNI"Do you think you will be able to get inside the main building just by killing me?" The bastard coughed out blood, looking up at me with his messed up face.I shrugged, pulling out my gloves and put them on. "That's my problem to worry about."I hadn't really expected it to be this easy to sneaked into Volkov Bratva's mansion, but his guys were unexpectedly sloppy.I would have easily made my way into the main building where the blueprint was kept, if it didn't require I used a fucking thumbprint to enter.Only three people has access to the main building. Volkov Bratva, his right hand man and his dear cousin.I wouldn't have resorted to killing Volkov Bratva's right hand man if the bastard had just given me his fucking thumb without putting up a fight."Fuck!" The bastard coughed again, spitting out blood on the marble floor. "You are so going to regret this. Volkov won't let it slide if you kill me.""You think I give a shit about that?" I scoffed, crouching to his level an
ADRIAN "Hey, are you coming over for breakfast? Tobias is already here, we are only waiting for you." Grace said, the sound of plates hitting against kitchen counter was so loud in the background that I almost didn't hear what she said. "Jesus, G. I'm just waking up now." I groaned, rubbing my eyes as I tossed and turned on my bed, stretching my arms lazily. "That doesn't answer my question, baby D." She huffed, and I imagined her rolling her eyes. "Are you coming? Or what?" Of course Grace would be the first person to call me on a Sunday morning. Both Grace and Tobi always have breakfast together every Sunday and they always wanted me there. "I'm not sure." I grumbled, sitting up on my bed and tossed the blanket away. It landed roughly on the floor. "I'm really tired. Wanna stay in." Looking around my room, it was a little messy in here and I wondered what Giovanni would say about the situation of my room if he should be here. That neat freak. The thought brought a warm
ADRIAN My feet hurt so damn bad I wanted to cut them off and toss them into the nearest dumpster. I trudged up the walk to Grace's apartment from the food court where I had stopped to get us some cupcakes, brownies, ice cream sundaes, nachos and wings. For our gossip Sunday breakfast.If I had known five minutes walk on a Sunday morning would make me feel like an expired chicken, I wouldn't have dropped out of Marcelo's car to get desserts.Speaking of Marcelo, I heard a car honk right next to me and I almost jumped out of my skin."Fucking hell? Dude!" I grunted, glaring at the familiar car I had come to recognise against my own will.The car window rolled down, and Marcelo poked his head out, staring at the desserts bag in my hand. "Is it edible?"He gazed up at me with an irresistibly innocent expression that was just too cute to resist, his slow blink making me want to hand over the entire dessert bag to him.But no. This bastard is far from being innocent and cute, and he doesn'
ADRIAN"Hey, Gracie. I have to go." I called out, walking out of the kitchen, wiping my hands with a small towel I had picked up from the counter.I had offered to do the dishes after everyone else had done eating. Honestly, I actually offered to do it just to escape Marcelo and his heated gaze at me.Grace walked over to me and handed me a hand cream. "Told you to let me do the dishes. You're just too stubborn.""It's alright. Since I didn't help out with the cooking the least I could do is help with the dishes." I smiled, applying the hand cream that smelled just like honey and was smooth on my skin like a butter.I handed Grace the small towel and the hand cream. She opened her mouth to talk but closed it back when we heard giggles from the living room."Are you sure that guy is not into you? I swear he likes you." Grace smirked, looking in the direction of where Marcelo and Tobi were playing video game in the living room.Marcelo was winning, and he wouldn't stop giving Tobi shit
ADRIAN The taxi came to a stop in front of a modest house thirty minutes later. I let out a deep breath, double-checking the address Lizzy had sent me to confirm I was at the right location. I had envisioned Lizzy's home to be more like everyone of us, but this one seemed surprisingly shocking.This should be the biggest house in Nexus Point. It reminded me of Dad's house in Solaris, but then I shook my head gently.Not today. I'm not going to think about dad today.Walking over to the front door, I placed a light knock on the door. I knew I should have just called Lizzy, but my brain wasn't functioning well at the moment.After the third knock, the door opened from the inside and Lizzy's face came into view. A warm smile spread across her face the moment she saw me."Hi, Adrian." She said, waving awkwardly at me."Hi, Lizzy." I greeted back, waving at her. Didn't know exactly what to say or what do do."You're here early." She said, smiling, opening the door wide for me to enter."
GIOVANNI "That little shit." I chuckled, dropping the phone next to me on the couch after ending the call with Adrian.My erection pressing roughly against the zipper of my pants. I still couldn't believe he had actually dressed up just for me.Or maybe he hadn't gone through all that trouble just for me, but my flawed, egotistical self refused to accept that it was merely a coincidence."Fuck! I need to see Adrian. I can't stay another second without having him in my arms." I said, groaning out in pain as I tried sitting up on the couch but it was damn near impossible.I looked down at the ugly looking bandage on my stomach. So far, it was clean. No more bleeding through the white shirt. Thankfully, the damage the bullet had done on my stomach hadn’t been deep, but it still ached. I was on my third ibuprofen, and the pain was still there like it was part of me. Maybe it was all in my head, maybe it was all psychological throbbing instead of actual, physical pain.No one in the fami
ADRIAN In my head, I knew I was exactly where I didn't want to be. An hour earlier, I would have jumped at the chance to follow Giovanni wherever he led me, because that was how much I missed having him around. But now my heart was set on being somewhere else entirely. The only place I wanted to be right now was in the comfort of my apartment, with Carlos by my side. I felt a pang of guilt for not being there to support him through his withdrawal. He was counting on me, and I hated that I had abandoned him when he needed me most. This was the one time I was supposed to repay him for all he had done for me in the past, but instead, I had left him to face his struggles alone. I could tell Giovanni was furious seeing me like that, I would too if the situation was reversed. But if I'm being honest, I wouldn't change a thing even if I could turn back the clock. Given the chance to relive the past ten minutes, I would make the same choices all over again. I would still choose t
ADRIAN I was in my fucking head.The entire drive I felt agitation flowing through my body. Every flicker of Giovanni's gaze that came my way, every little smirk he pulled, felt like he was holding some inside joke that I was on the outside of. The sleek leather seat of his car was cool, and it was the only thing that prevented me from melting into a goddamn puddle.I wished I had the courage to talk to him because we had a lot to talk about. I wanted to know exactly what I was to him. He needed to define our relationship so I wouldn't mistake it for another.I needed to know why he got so angry when I said he wasn't even my boyfriend. Did he want me like I wanted him?Was he under the impression that he was my boyfriend, and did he wish it to be true, just like I did?Fuck!I am so confused!Taking a quick glance at Giovanni, I felt my breath catch in my throat when I saw the fire in his eyes. Fuck, it turned me on even more.The rush, the danger, and not to mention the hot as fuck
GIOVANNI Adrian stubbornly refused to reveal the man's identity, but it seemed he had underestimated me. Locating individuals was second nature to me, a fundamental aspect of our line of work. I had an extensive network of resources and contacts at my disposal, and I knew it wouldn't take me long to uncover who the bastard was.Just a few hours and my boys already found out the name of the man he was desperately trying to protect.I should be pissed that Adrian was trying to protect another man who wasn't me, but I decided to let it go.Once I am done with the fucker, he will learn never to mess with me again.I wasn't the least bit surprised when Dominic revealed that the man in question was that damn firefighter from before.Suddenly, it all came flooding back - how he had persistently pursued Adrian, despite my explicit warnings to keep his distance. His audacity was staggering, and I couldn't help but wonder what drove him to continue pursuing someone who was clearly off-limits.
GIOVANNI After going at it for a few minutes, I realized the sofa was no longer enough for us. With a surge of adrenaline, I grasped Adrian's neck, pulling him off the sofa. His legs instinctively wrapped around my waist, trembling violently from the relentless abuse from me.I hadn't intended to punish him that much, but witnessing Adrian cry was unexpectedly mesmerizing. His tears seemed to awaken a primal desire within me, and I felt myself becoming increasingly aroused. It was as if he was deliberately using his tears to seduce me, playing on my emotions to make me punish him further.He begged for it, and I gave it to him.Adrian clinging tightly onto me like he was holding on for dear life as I carried him inside. Carefully dropped him on the king-size bed.His ass was tightening around me, threatening to snap my cock in two. He was such a slut, begging to be fucked senseless after all the punishment.Such a greedy little slut!Adrian shoved back against me, but I pushed him f
ADRIAN I was still desperately trying to dull the throbbing pain in my butt, but it seemed like an impossible feat. Every twitch, every shift, every beat of my heart sent a fresh wave of agony coursing through my tender flesh. The sting of the belt, the bite of Giovanni's teeth – every sensation blended together in a uproar of hurt that refused to subside. I had never realized just how sensitive that area was until now, when every fiber seemed to be screaming in protest.Giovanni had released his grip on my battered butt barely five minutes ago, leaving me to nurse the lingering pain and discomfort. I was still trying to catch my breath and process what had just transpired when he vanished into the inner part of the hotel room. The sound of rustling bags and muffled footsteps echoed from behind me, and I wondered what he was up to. My curiosity was short-lived, as Giovanni reemerged with a small, sleek shopping bag clutched in his hand, its crinkly contents hinting at my curiosi
ADRIAN "I can explain, please." I pleaded, my life flashing right before my face in such a fast motion as Giovanni grabbed my hand, dragging me with him as he walked us to the sofa.I didn't know if I should be feeling this scared since he was my boyfriend, but Giovanni look pissed and I wasn't sure if he still see me as his boyfriend or as a mere traitor who deserved to die.I didn't even do anything wrong, really. I was only trying to be there for someone who was grieving the loss of a love one. It could be me, or even Giovanni too.My only mistake was sleeping off, losing track of time. I wished Giovanni would just fucking calm down and let me explain. It wasn't as if I was fucking Gabe or I was busy doing something hideous with him."You dare ask me to be your boyfriend, and after just a few weeks, you're already tired of me?" His voice seethed with indignation, trembling with restrained fury. Eyes blazing, he shoved me onto the sofa, and I scrambled to sit up, my heart racing f
GIOVANNI Fury seethed through me like burning inferno as I stood face-to-face with him. My anger boiled over, a raging tempest that threatened to consume me whole. Every fiber of my being screamed for violence.I wanted to lunge at him, grasp his throat, and stop him from existing. I yearned to snap his neck severely, to rip him limb from limb, and to watch as he disintegrated into nothingness. The air around me seemed to vibrate with my never contained rage. My head screaming at me to destroy him. To punch him, smash his face until he became a fucking puddle.I clenched my fists, breathing heavily as I held myself back from doing all the things I had been planning to do to him when I finally get my hands on him.It was his fault for letting Dad get into my head and fucked with my mind.The look in my eyes must have scared the shit out of him. Adrian winched when our eyes met, his hands trembling against the bike handlebars."Gio... Giovanni." My name slipped out from his parted li
ADRIAN The sound of my phone vibrating against my thigh jolted me awake. A heavy weight across my chest and waist made it difficult to turn over.I had no idea where I was, surrounded by an inky darkness. The only light came from the faint glow of my phone screen, still clutched in my pants pocket, but it was barely enough to illuminate my surroundings.I had little to no idea where I was, but when someone grumbled behind me and the weight on my body shifted, I suddenly realized my location."Oh no, the donut shop! I'm still at the donut shop... with Gabe!" I gasped, slapping a hand over my mouth to stifle my voice and avoid waking Gabe.I didn't really meant to sleep here. I only stayed back a little when he asked me to. All my plans were to wait for him to calm down, and then go home."Giovanni is going to kill me." I muttered, cold sweats rolled down my face as I gently shoved Gabe off me, standing up from the floor and pulled out my phone.My heart practically stopped beating whe
ADRIAN It had never occurred to me that I would one day feel the sorrow of losing someone I barely knew this deeply.Leah, I believed that was her name, was really a nice woman. She was one of the kind hearted people I had ever seen.Sometimes I found myself wondering what made me love her donuts so much. Was it because of how great they tasted, or because the treats were made by someone as special as Madam Leah?I wished she was still here, alive, so I could appreciate her for everything. The reason I always looked forward to the end of my shifts at the Queen's was her delicious donuts. It was beyond doubt that I was going to miss such a beautiful soul."Your mom," I smiled, packing up some utensils and passed them to Gabe who retrieved them from my hands without a word. "She was a nice woman."Gabe shrugged, still wouldn't say anything as we box the rest of the stuff inside the shop.He was grieving, I knew. That's why I stayed behind, helping him in any way I could, so he wouldn't
ADRIAN "Here you go ma'am." I smiled warmly, tried not to wince as I handed the customer her order of green god smoothie with some wellness boosts to go with it.Good stuff."You are such a sweet young man." The woman, who was probably in her late sixties, smiled back at me, giving my hand a light pat as she retrieved her order.Right? You can never find another sweet smoothie maker like me.Being sweet was part of the ingredients. The main ingredient even."Thanks for sipping with us! Have a berry smoothie day!" I smiled, waving at her as she exited the shop.Immediately the old woman was out of the shop, I turned around, crossing my arms as I glared at Grace who had been cleaning the same blender for the past forty minutes."Now, what?" I demanded, shooting Tobi a deadly glare when he wouldn't stop poking a hole in the poor orange. "For the love of God, you guys, please stop being weird.""Tell me you're a traitor without actually saying it." Tobi hissed, tossing the orange into th
ADRIAN "Where the hell are you?" I half-yelled into the phone, casting a nervous glance over my shoulder to make sure the guys weren't eavesdropping.I would absolutely hate myself if T-Jay should found out I was here talking about him behind his back with Marcelo."At the office." Marcelo grumbled tiredly, there was a sickening sound in the background. "I'm fucking busy."The sound of metal hitting something solid, like a wall or floor, echoed again, followed by a muffled groan.What the fuck was that sound?It was as if he was at a butcher shop."That means you're not coming here." I asked, deciding to let go of the weird thoughts that were running through my mind.It wouldn't do me any good to know if Marcelo was really at a butcher shop, butchering a human instead of beef.Fuck!This whole thing was messed up."I will be there. Soon. Not now." Marcelo grumbled again, he was sounding a little bit irritated now, instead of sounding tired like before."You're a bastard, Marcelo!" I