ADRIAN My heart squeezed tightly in my chest and my lungs tightened as if it would suddenly stop working. The fuzzy dizziness that filled my brain made my fingers feel numb and I immediately lost my appetite the moment Giovanni uttered those words I had been expecting from him since last night. Those words I had been waiting for him to say, but desperately praying for him not to say. "I won't be able to drive you to work for now, I have so much to do." He said with a straight face, he wouldn't even move his eyes away from his food to look at me. Is that it? Is this where it all ends? Ever since his brothers left last night, Giovanni had been eerily quiet, making an unusually large number of calls; more than I had made since I learned to use a cell phone. He had been acting strange and awkward, and I sensed it was connected to the conversation he had with his brothers upstairs. I couldn't shake off the feeling that the conversation was all about me, and the uncertainty was gnaw
ADRIAN "Here you go." I called out the moment I got back to the table, handling Carlos his order."Thank you." He let out a small smile, taking the cup from me and then placed it on the table.I took my seat across from him, looking around the coffee shop, wondering what exactly we were doing here.The smoothie shop was right across the street and Carlos had dragged me out of the shop the moment he saw me making my way to him, saying he had something very important to say to me.I had expected him to start speaking the moment we got here, but he said he wanted coffee first. The suspence was fucking killing me."You said you got something to say to me?" I said, breaking the silence.Carlos swallowed hard, he shakily reached for his coffee and took a long sip before settling it back down on the table."Yeah, I do." He said, clearing his throat. Rubbing his clammy hands together.My eyes moved to his legs that were bobbing up and down under the table. He seemed nervous, and I wondered i
ADRIAN "No." Carlos yelled, banging his fists on the table. Shaking his head. "I don't need his help.""What?" I gasped, frowning my face. "Why?"Confused. I was very confused as to why Carlos would declined my offer of asking Giovanni to help us, when he was clearly the only one who could help us."That bastard wanted me gone. If it wasn't because of you, he would have killed me right fucking there." He snapped, jabbing his fingertips against the furniture.Right. Carlos was fucking right. But Giovanni wouldn't have threatened to kill him if his father hadn't injected him in the first place. It was because of his father that we were in that position Giovanni caught us in.Sighing, I grabbed my hair and gave it a light pull. "Trust me on this, Carlos. He was only pissed for seeing that, he didn't mean to pull out his gun on you.""Still. He wouldn't want to help someone like me after what he witnessed. I'm sure of it." Carlos insisted, wrapping his arms over his chest."Giovanni love
ADRIAN As I paced back and forth, I found myself mindlessly nibbling on my thumbnail. Different thoughts running through my head at a time.Carlos was sitting quietly on one of the tables, his head bowed down, and his hands pressed gently together on top of the table.Both Tobi and Grace were behind the counter, staring at us with so much intensity, neither of them saying anything.I had my eyes fixated on the entrance door, my legs trembled as I kept pacing back and forth, waiting for Nikola Marino to get here.I am stupid!I am so fucking stupid!"Shit! I should have just ended the call when I heard his voice. I should have just told him it was a wrong call, why did I even asked him for help?" I grumbled, mentally cursing at myself as I wondered what I was going to say to Nikola when he gets here.I can barely stay in the same room as him; I can barely breathe the same air as him. So how am I possibly going to sit across from Nikola, look him straight in the eyes, and tell him I ne
ADRIAN I didn’t give a shit about what I was doing anymore. All my mind had been on Carlos and I didn't care if I was messing up with work and that Noah had gotten me out of trouble, twice, tonight."The fuck! Keep your eyes open, you idiot! Don't spill that cheap drink on me!" Someone barked at me, and I felt a strong hand yanking me backward with my shirt.I didn't know who the person was, but I didn't really seem to care enough to make me turn around to check. I was far up in my head that nothing else seemed to interest me at the moment but to know where Carlos was and how he was doing."I'm so sorry, sir, my friend is not feeling too well. I'm sorry for the mess." I heard Noah rambled behind me, and when I snapped out of my head and turned to face him, he was already on his knees cleaning up after my mess.Shit!I have just made another mess and Noah had yet again saved my ass for the third time, tonight."I... I'm so sorry," I gulped, my legs quivered beneath me when the man loo
GIOVANNI I had been sitting here for two solid hours, waiting for that damned fed to take the bait. Honestly, I had started to doubt he would show up. But I had made sure Dominic sent him a cryptic message, anonymous but intriguing enough to pique his interest. I knew he wouldn't be able to resist.My lips curved into a tight smirk when I saw Price Russell walking through the door and the hotel manager closed the door behind him.I remained seated, my gaze fixed intently on him. I couldn't help but notice the uncanny resemblance to my boyfriend. The same brown hair, big brown eyes, and defined cheekbones. The only distinction lay in the texture of their hair. Price Russell's was straight and styled back, while Adrian's was curly and often fell across his forehead.“You won’t mind being searched, would you?” Price said, walking towards me with so much authority.Fucking show off!“Thought you weren’t worried about me killing you.” I grinned, crossing my arms over my chest.Price Rus
NIKOLA I stared at the computer screen. The text cursor blinked back at me, but I had no idea what I was doing. My head was too fucked up to focus. Today is the worst day of my life. Not when my supposed boyfriend landed my ass in prison, not even when my father asked them to keep me locked up for however long he wants, until they could set me free. Not even when father forced me to watch as his men took mother's life and made me lie to my brothers that it was an accident. Not when the damn monster I called father taught my brothers and I how to dissect human bodies for the first time. No, it had to be today. Today had to be the worst day of my life. I never really expected to run into my ex boyfriend today. No, I never really wanted to see him ever again. I had no one else to blame for my actions but myself. I never should have gone there because of Adrian Price. I hated that bastard too. Him and his damned father, so why did I have to go, thinking he was in danger?
CARLOS I braced myself for the inevitable. The moment I opened the door to the secret I had been holding back for months, I was prepared for what Nikola would do to me. The onslaught of music from the clubhouse downstairs wasn't supposed to be this audible, but my senses were heightened by fear, making me acutely aware of every sound, no matter how faint; the thumping bass, the muffled voices, the creaking of the old wooden floorboards. "It was your father I always snuck out to meet." The words left my parted lips and I wished I could take them back but it was already too late. "What the fuck did you just say?" Nikola growled, making me jump back in fright. He was already out of his seat before I could even blink my eyes and he had me pressed against the wall. His large hands wrapping around my neck, his thumbs pressing against my throat, cutting through my airway. I couldn't breathe properly and I could see my life flashing before my eyes in a slow motion. It hurt so muc
ADRIAN TWO YEARS LATER It's been two years since that night, and after the fire incident that splashed across the news the next day. A warehouse had been burned down during a raid, resulting from an FBI operation targeting one of the most dangerous gangs in New York City. The raid had killed most of the FBI agents and gang members. I still couldn't believe it was the same warehouse we had all been to that night. Would I have died if Kisra hadn't rescued us? Would Giovanni...? No, I didn't want to think about that possibility. My dad's body was found among the dead FBI agents, but they soon realized he wasn't completely dead and rushed him to the hospital. He's been in a coma ever since. My brother and I had been contemplating visiting him in the hospital but I still didn't feel like going to see him. Benedetto Marino's body, however, was never found. The family assumed he had been burned to ashes, which explained why the police couldn't find his body among the dead bodies
ADRIAN Kyra Israel. Kyra fucking Israel!I fucking knew that name rang a bell the other day I met her. She was one of my dad's special agents. I should have known she was the one; I should have fucking known she wasn't who she pretended to be.Giovanni was mad, furious even. He had been pacing back and forth in the living room, firing off a rapid barrage of curses in Italian. He had refused treatment, not wanting Kisra to come near him. "If she makes a single mistake and walks closer to me," he had snarled, "I'll rip her head off."He said he needed a moment to think, but it had been over an hour since we got home, and he still hadn't been treated. He was still bleeding badly, and I feared he was going to bleed out and die.I should go to him, I thought. I should tell him, while he was still mad, that Kisra might not be exactly who he thought he knew. But she was still the same person, even though she was wearing a different uniform. He still needed her help; he still needed to get
GIOVANNI A gunshot echoed through the air as Father shot Price Russell's hand, shattering the one holding the gun. Price collapsed to his knees, cursing loudly. He attempted to reach for his gun, but Father shot his knees before kicking the weapon out of his reach."I told you never to show your face to me ever again," Father growled, stalking closer as he fired his gun in anger. "I promised I would never let it slide if you laid your hands on any of my sons, but you just had to test me, didn't you?"Price Russell let out a muffled grunt when Father stopped in front of him, pressing his gun to Price's forehead."You sickening bastard!" Price spat."Yes, I am a sickening bastard!" Father retorted, his laughter devoid of humor.This was real? How could it be? Dad hated us, I knew that. But here he was, standing right in front of me. Getting all mad because Price Russell had shot me? But why? Why the hell was he confusing me?"Why are you here, Dad?" I grunted, trying to sit up but fall
I have a funeral service for my grandmother to attend today, so I won't be able to share the rest of the chapters. Hopefully, I'll be able to post the remaining four chapters tomorrow. Thank you. (•.•)✨ The story of the Marino brothers and their sweet boyfriends, along with the crazy parents, is practically coming to an end. I'm feeling a mix of excitement and sadness, and I'm curious to know if you are too.
GIOVANNI My fingers moved swiftly, snapping the binds that had held Marcelo's hands captive for so long. He was finally free. As the ropes fell away, Marcelo's eyes locked onto mine, a flicker of relief and gratitude dancing in their depths. But our moment of triumph was short-lived. The sound of a gun being cocked against my temple cut through the air, and my heart sank. I clenched my jaw, fighting to keep my emotions in check. Fear, anger, and adrenaline all swirled together in a toxic mix, threatening to overwhelm me. I forced myself to remain still, to appear unbothered, even as my mind racing with worst-case scenarios. "What's the meaning of this madness?" I asked, my voice icy and controlled, as I struggled to keep my emotions in check. I couldn't afford to let my true feelings slip, not now, when every word and action counted. "Is this how you treat your business partners?" I demanded, turning to face Volkov, my eyes locking onto his cold, unyielding glare. The gun
GIOVANNI "Giovanni... Shit!" Marcelo grunted, his voice strained, as one of the Bratvas grabbed him, yanking him back down with brutal force. The damned bastard tossed Marcelo to the floor as if he weighed nothing, sending a jolt of anger through me."Fucking stay, brat!" Volkov sneered, his eyes glinting with malice as he met my gaze head-on. He pressed his leg onto Marcelo's shoulder, pinning him to the dirty floor. The sound of Marcelo's pained grunt made my blood boil.Fucking hell! Rage and desperation clawed at my chest. "Fucking let go of him this instant!" I growled, my finger clenched tightly around my gun. My heart pounded in my ears, my mind racing with fear.I fucking froze for a moment, my heart racing with fear. What if this transaction didn't go as planned? What if Volkov caught on before we could get out of here? We had our boys stationed outside, scouting the area, but the Bratvas outnumbered us. Their sheer numbers made my skin crawl, and for a moment, I doubte
MARCELO A blow landed on my face, sending my head jerking to the side. Blood dripped down my cheek and some of it caught in my lips, slipping into my mouth. I tasted the metallic tang of blood on my tongue, and it made my stomach churn.A vicious kick to the wooden seat I was tied to sent me crashing to the floor, my wrists bound together behind my back. The blindfold pressing my eyes shut, plunging me into an inky blackness. I couldn't see anything, not even a sliver of light.A groan tore from my lips as pain exploded through my body. "Hmmph..." I grunted, my voice strained. I tried to crawl forward, but a rough hand grasped my ankles, yanking me back. My bare chest scraped against the concrete floor, the friction igniting a fire of agony. It felt as if thousands of needles were scattered across the floor, each one piercing my skin like a sharp shard of razor.I writhed, desperate to escape the torment, but my restraints held firm. The darkness seemed to closing in around me, s
ADRIAN Tears streamed down my face as I sprinted out of the living room, desperate to escape the suffocating atmosphere. My mind reeled with the conversation I had just overheard. Dad couldn't be talking about me and my brother. He couldn't be implying that we weren't his biological sons. The thought sent a wave of pain and hurt crashing through me, and I desperately wished the last eighteen hours had never happened. I stumbled out into the hallway, panting and gasping for breath. I pressed my back against the wall, trying to calm my racing heart. Benedetto's voice echoed through the building, his words dripping with venom. "Get out, Price Russell! And don't ever show your face to me or my sons again, or I'll kill you!" My father's response was a hissed "Fuck you!" as he stormed out of the living room. He seemed furious, his face twisted in a scowl. He was so mad that he didn't notice me standing there. Benedetto called out from inside after a few minutes had passed, his vo
ADRIAN The words echoed in my mind like a mantra.This is not my father. The man in front of me, kneeling between Benedetto's legs, was an imposter. I felt a wave of confusion wash over me as I stared at him.My father's face was contorted in shock, saliva dripping from the corner of his mouth as he remained frozen in a kneeling position. His eyes were wide with terror, and his skin had paled to a sickly shade.How could this man, this broken, submissive shell of a person, be my father? The man I knew, the man who had raised me, was a tyrant, a monster who had sought to break me and remake me in his own image.He had hated me for being gay, had sought to "fix" me, to mold me into a straight man. But this...this person in front of me was not that man. He was weak, submissive, and terrified.I felt a shiver run down my spine as I gazed at him, my mind reeling with questions. Who was this imposter? And what had happened to my real father?Words kept getting stuck, and it angered me eve