ALINAI had never seen Pietro lose his cool. I had never heard him raise his voice. Not once in my life.Now, he shouted the word at Roberto, his words like a blade that made the tension wound tighter.“Lower the gun, Roberto, or I’ll blow your brains out.” He snarled at Roberto.I turned my head slowly, my breath tight in my chest. Pietro stood with his gun raised, his hands steady, his legs spread firmly on the floor.The room had changed.More guns were out now. Each man pointed at another, waiting for the first shot to be fired.My fingers brushed the table, just to remind myself that this was reality.This was dangerous. One wrong move and the whole room would turn into a bloodbath.I had no gun.I swallowed, forcing myself to look at Roberto. His hand was still tight around his gun, his lips pressed into a thin line.“Sit down,” I told him. I didn't expect him to sit, but I would make him.He didn’t move.My heart pounded, but I refused to let it show.“You can sit,” I continued
LUCAThe room was dead silent.Roberto brought the gun down, but it didn’t matter. He’d already made the mistake.And I never let mistakes slide. If I did, they repeated themselves—like this one.I moved before anyone could say a word. I reached Roberto and lifted my hand to take the gun. He saw my hand coming and tried to fight, shoving back, holding the gun tighter.I almost slapped him, but I didn't bother. He was weak and desperate.I barely put in any effort. One twist, a strong pull, and the gun was in my hands.Roberto staggered. His chest rose and fell. The men at the table murmured at how easily I had disarmed him.Weak.I tested the weight of the gun in my palm, unimpressed. Then, without warning, I rammed it hard against Roberto’s head.The sound was sickening. A dull, heavy crack as it hit his skull.Roberto fell back, hands flying up too late. Blood ran down the side of his face, sliding past his ear, dripping onto his white shirt.His face twisted with rage as he screame
ALINAI was so mad I could barely see straight. My head felt like it would explode, my teeth chattered from the force of my anger, and my hands were shaking at my sides.“What the fuck was that, Luca?” The words were heavy. I had never been so angry in my life. If I had, I didn't remember.Luca just stood there, watching me with a small smile on his face. He smirked. Like this was a joke.Like I was a joke.I stepped forward, stabbing a finger into his chest. “I had it covered. You didn’t need to swoop in and take over my meeting.”He had made me feel weak for a moment. I had been feeling so proud of myself for subduing Roberto, and he had come in at the last moment and made it about Luca, The Monster.Now all the men would remember, was how Luca had saved the day. I barely stopped myself from slapping his stupidly broad chest.His lips were shaking, his beautiful eyes dark with the laughter he didn't allow to slip past his lips. “Swoop in?”“Yes! Swoop in,” I snapped. “I told you to
ALINAI was shaking hard, my ass barely able to stay on the table.Luca pulled a chair closer to the table and sat. He pulled his pants down his legs, and his hard cock jumped free of his pants.He wrapped his hand around his cock, stroking himself as he watched me. His voice was rough when he spoke. “Get off the table and touch me.”I swallowed. My pulse pounded at my throat.I had never done this before. Not really. The only time I had ever seen a man naked had been years ago, in school, when I was drunk and reckless.The fumbling, the clumsy hands, the slippery kisses—it had turned me off completely.But this was different.Luca was different.Luca, who was looking at me like I was water and he was thirsty.Luca, who looked like he wanted to bite me as he fucked me into tomorrow.I dropped off the table and knelt in front of him. I reached out gently, my fingers brushing over the thickness of his hard cock.He was hot, smooth, pulsing under my fingers. My breath hitched. He was big
LUCAI barely made it out of the room.My breath was ragged, my eyes blurry with lust, my cock so hard it hurt. I had to force myself to walk, my legs stiff, every muscle in my body rejecting my decision to leave.I should have made love to her.I should have buried myself deep, should have ripped off those tight little pants and taken what she had been so ready to give.Instead, I walked away.Why?My fingers were shaking at my sides as I stepped into the hall. I couldn’t even fucking think straight.Her taste, the sound of her moans, the way she had looked up at me with her lips stretched around my cock; it was burned into my skull, running in my mind, driving me mad.Pietro was still standing outside the door. He straightened when he saw me.I barely looked at him as I grunted, “Give her a few minutes. Then bring her to the car.”He nodded, but I caught the look of unease on his face.It was enough to finish what little patience I had. I was so angry at myself that I needed someone
ALINAI just walked into THE MONSTER’S home. I stood stiffly in Luca Marino's study, trying not to stare at the blood on the floor near the corner. The dry smell of cigars and whiskey filled the room. The huge desk in front of me looked like it belonged to a king—or a very dangerous man.This was a bad idea.A terrible idea.But my father was dead, my family was falling apart, and my younger brother and sister were depending on me. There was no turning back.The door slammed open behind me. Heavy footsteps followed, then stopped."Who the hell are you?" The voice was deep like the depths of the ocean. Deep and cold. I turned into the darkest pair of eyes I'd ever seen. Luca Marino. The Monster. My mouth went dry.He was tall, with messy black hair and sharp dark eyes that felt like they could pin me to the wall. His black shirt was rolled up to his elbows, revealing strong arms, one of which was stained with blood. A tattoo of a beautiful mermaid was on his forearm, so clear i
LUCAThe girl bit her lip, and for a moment, I froze.Alina gave a small smile at the knife, her blue eyes huge in her face. “Put the knife back, Luca. If you kill me here, you might as well declare war, and my family will win.”No one had ever proposed to me before, let alone walked into my study, uninvited, and done it with this kind of force. “Oh, not to worry, this knife isn't for you.” I shifted forward on my chair to take a look closer at her eyes. Cobalt blue. Most people could barely look me in the eye, yet here she was, holding her ground like she belonged here.She didn’t.“And no, Alina. If you're dead, your family is too.” I laughed. The Costa Mafia was like every Mafia. If the head was gone, so was the body if care wasn't taken. She was scared. I could tell from the way she held herself so stiffly. Yet looking at her face, you'd never know. I leaned back in my chair, studying her, playing with my tiny dagger, a gift from my mother before she died giving birth to Sofia
ALINAWe stepped out of the door to find Marco already turning away. Hehesitated, looking at me like I was in the way. Luca caught it and waved him on. “Spit it out.”Marco cleared his throat. “Someone left us a message. Out back.”My stomach twisted. A message? I wanted to ask what kind, but something in Luca’s face told me I wouldn’t like the answer.There was an edge to him now. Something sharper. Dangerous.I knew then he'd been playing with me before. I pressed my eyes closed and sighed. I remembered the blood spilling down the man's face. I'd nearly vomited my breakfast then. We followed Marco out to the back of the property. The air was heavy, the kind that settles in your chest when something terrible is about to happen. I followed Luca, my heart pumping in my chest. Thirty or so men were there, all armed. They shifted as Luca walked through, their silence saying everything I needed to know about his authority.My breath caught when I saw the body.Blood pooled around the m
LUCAI barely made it out of the room.My breath was ragged, my eyes blurry with lust, my cock so hard it hurt. I had to force myself to walk, my legs stiff, every muscle in my body rejecting my decision to leave.I should have made love to her.I should have buried myself deep, should have ripped off those tight little pants and taken what she had been so ready to give.Instead, I walked away.Why?My fingers were shaking at my sides as I stepped into the hall. I couldn’t even fucking think straight.Her taste, the sound of her moans, the way she had looked up at me with her lips stretched around my cock; it was burned into my skull, running in my mind, driving me mad.Pietro was still standing outside the door. He straightened when he saw me.I barely looked at him as I grunted, “Give her a few minutes. Then bring her to the car.”He nodded, but I caught the look of unease on his face.It was enough to finish what little patience I had. I was so angry at myself that I needed someone
ALINAI was shaking hard, my ass barely able to stay on the table.Luca pulled a chair closer to the table and sat. He pulled his pants down his legs, and his hard cock jumped free of his pants.He wrapped his hand around his cock, stroking himself as he watched me. His voice was rough when he spoke. “Get off the table and touch me.”I swallowed. My pulse pounded at my throat.I had never done this before. Not really. The only time I had ever seen a man naked had been years ago, in school, when I was drunk and reckless.The fumbling, the clumsy hands, the slippery kisses—it had turned me off completely.But this was different.Luca was different.Luca, who was looking at me like I was water and he was thirsty.Luca, who looked like he wanted to bite me as he fucked me into tomorrow.I dropped off the table and knelt in front of him. I reached out gently, my fingers brushing over the thickness of his hard cock.He was hot, smooth, pulsing under my fingers. My breath hitched. He was big
ALINAI was so mad I could barely see straight. My head felt like it would explode, my teeth chattered from the force of my anger, and my hands were shaking at my sides.“What the fuck was that, Luca?” The words were heavy. I had never been so angry in my life. If I had, I didn't remember.Luca just stood there, watching me with a small smile on his face. He smirked. Like this was a joke.Like I was a joke.I stepped forward, stabbing a finger into his chest. “I had it covered. You didn’t need to swoop in and take over my meeting.”He had made me feel weak for a moment. I had been feeling so proud of myself for subduing Roberto, and he had come in at the last moment and made it about Luca, The Monster.Now all the men would remember, was how Luca had saved the day. I barely stopped myself from slapping his stupidly broad chest.His lips were shaking, his beautiful eyes dark with the laughter he didn't allow to slip past his lips. “Swoop in?”“Yes! Swoop in,” I snapped. “I told you to
LUCAThe room was dead silent.Roberto brought the gun down, but it didn’t matter. He’d already made the mistake.And I never let mistakes slide. If I did, they repeated themselves—like this one.I moved before anyone could say a word. I reached Roberto and lifted my hand to take the gun. He saw my hand coming and tried to fight, shoving back, holding the gun tighter.I almost slapped him, but I didn't bother. He was weak and desperate.I barely put in any effort. One twist, a strong pull, and the gun was in my hands.Roberto staggered. His chest rose and fell. The men at the table murmured at how easily I had disarmed him.Weak.I tested the weight of the gun in my palm, unimpressed. Then, without warning, I rammed it hard against Roberto’s head.The sound was sickening. A dull, heavy crack as it hit his skull.Roberto fell back, hands flying up too late. Blood ran down the side of his face, sliding past his ear, dripping onto his white shirt.His face twisted with rage as he screame
ALINAI had never seen Pietro lose his cool. I had never heard him raise his voice. Not once in my life.Now, he shouted the word at Roberto, his words like a blade that made the tension wound tighter.“Lower the gun, Roberto, or I’ll blow your brains out.” He snarled at Roberto.I turned my head slowly, my breath tight in my chest. Pietro stood with his gun raised, his hands steady, his legs spread firmly on the floor.The room had changed.More guns were out now. Each man pointed at another, waiting for the first shot to be fired.My fingers brushed the table, just to remind myself that this was reality.This was dangerous. One wrong move and the whole room would turn into a bloodbath.I had no gun.I swallowed, forcing myself to look at Roberto. His hand was still tight around his gun, his lips pressed into a thin line.“Sit down,” I told him. I didn't expect him to sit, but I would make him.He didn’t move.My heart pounded, but I refused to let it show.“You can sit,” I continued
ALINA I stepped out of the car, smoothing my hands down the front of my blazer.The mansion in front of me was quiet, its tall gates locked, the windows dark.From the outside, it looked like just another expensive house built away from the center of the city, but I knew better.It was a safe house, one of my father’s best-kept secrets, owned under an offshore company in his lawyer’s name.Only a handful of people knew it existed, and those people were waiting for me inside.My stomach twisted, but I forced myself to stay calm. I wasn’t here to be the nervous daughter of Emilio Costa.I was here to be the woman taking his place.Beside me, Pietro watched me closely.“How do I look?” I asked, steady even though my heart was knocking against my chest too fast.He gave me a small, reassuring smile. “Perfect, Al.”I nodded, ignoring the tightness in my chest as I turned toward the doors.Inside, the air was fragrant with the smell of expensive cigars and whiskey. The moment I stepped int
LUCAI barely managed to catch Victoria’s wrists before her nails scratched across my face.She was strong, made rougher by whatever emotions were fighting their way out of her, but I was stronger.I held her firmly, pushing her back just enough to keep her at arm’s length.“Victoria, stop.” I snapped at her. I could feel the eyes on us, the curious stares from other diners, but Victoria didn’t seem to care.She twisted in my hold, her chest rising and falling quickly. She looked crazy for a second. “I love you, Luca,” she said, her voice breaking. “I’ve always loved you.”I clenched my jaw. Was that why she had tried to scratch my eyes out? “Don’t do this.”Tears ran down her cheeks as she shook her head. “You promised me.”I felt something cold settle in my stomach. What the fuck was she talking about? “I never promised you anything.”“Yes, you did!” Her voice rose, drawing even more attention. “You told me I was yours. That we would be together. That you would marry me.”I felt my
LUCAThe warehouse smelled like cement and metal, oil and sweat. I stood near the loading dock, arms crossed, watching the men unload crates from the truck.Everything was running smoothly so far. No delays, no mistakes. Just how I wanted it. The men knew better than to make silly mistakes, especially when I was watching.Marco stood beside me, hands in his pockets, watching the scene like he was waiting for something to go wrong.He was always like that, never trusting anything to go as planned. I didn’t blame him. These goods in particular were very illegal and very expensive.Guns like these came into the market once in a blue moon. I expected I'd make a hundred million just from this batch."Make sure they get everything sorted fast," I said. "The businesses that already paid, get theirs first."Marco nodded, giving a sharp whistle. The men moved faster. They didn’t need to be told twice.I shifted my feet, lowering my voice. "My father’s back."Marco turned his head sharply, his
ALINALuca was dressed when I woke up. The sound of his belt buckling pulled me from the edge of sleep.I heard him moving around the room, heard the clink of metal as he fastened his watch. I pushed myself up on one elbow, blinking the sleep from my eyes. He was already wearing his signature dark pants. “Where are you going?”His hands paused for half a second before he went back to what he was doing. “Since when do you ask me that?”I shifted, the sheets cool against my skin. Since he officially became my husband, since I found out he was hiding a mistress from me, since he had gone back to his mistress when we came home together. I pretended none of that mattered. “Since I arranged a meeting with Pietro.”That got his attention. He stopped dragging the jacket over his broad shoulders “With my father’s men,” I added. Just so we were clear. Luca turned fully, his face impossible to read. “I should be there.”I sat up, dragging the sheet with me, not because I cared but because