ALINA
“They’re waiting for you in the living room,” Pietro said.
The Costa mansion was huge like a giant, bigger even than Luca’s home. Big and cold.
It had always felt that way to me. More a place of power than a home. I walked up the steps with my father's right hand man, Pietro at my side.
He was sixty years old. Strong and stocky.
“I didn't ask to see them today.” I snapped, pressing a finger into my forehead. I had a headache
“They didn't ask for your permission, Al.” Pietro had called me Al as long as I could remember. “They don't need your permission to visit their brother's house.”
I had told him everything in the car. About the two dead men and my fear of Luca. He had told me my uncles were waiting inside the house.
I nodded, my chest tightening. No, they didn't.
The house was quiet as I hurried to the living room.
I stepped into the living room and stopped to pull in a deep breathe. I needed patience for this. Either of these men could have killed my father.
I suspected Angelo more than Roberto.
My uncles, Angelo and Roberto, sat stiffly on the sofa, their eyes sharp and angry. My mother sat across from them, her hands folded in her lap, her face a mask.
Everyone knew better than to spill blood with sharks in the water.
Valentina, my older sister, sat beside her, wringing her hands. Adraino, my brother, only thirteen, was at the edge of the room, his small body almost swallowed by the oversized chair.
“Alina,” Angelo said, his voice sharp. “Come in.”
I stepped inside, holding my head high. He had commanded me into my own home. I could already feel anger heating my blood.
“Do you want to explain yourself?” Roberto asked. His voice was louder, rougher.
I crossed my arms. “What exactly do you want me to explain?”
“Don’t play games,” Angelo snapped. “You went to Luca Marino. Why?”
I had known they would hate this decision, which was exactly the reason I hadn't informed them. “Because I had to.”
Roberto stood up, pointing a finger at me. His hands were shaking with anger, spit almost drooling from his lips. “You had no right! You didn’t consult us. You didn’t consult anyone!”
“I didn’t need to,” I said. “My father left me the Mafia.”
“You didn’t need to?” Angelo repeated, standing now as well. He looked disgusted. “Do you understand what you’ve done? What kind of man he is? And since when does the Mafia belong to one person? A woman at that?”
“I know exactly what kind of man he is,” I said, my heart running too fast.
My mother’s voice broke in then. She never would have spoken if my father was in the room. “Then why, Alina? Why would you go to him?”
I took a breath. “Because someone had to do something. If we keep waiting, this family will fall apart. Luca is strong enough to protect us.”
Angelo let out a bitter laugh. “Protect us? By making us his? You think he’ll stop at marriage? He’ll own everything! He'll take you, then he'll take us.”
“Better him than you,” I said before I could stop myself. “Than either of you.”
The room went silent. I had made enemies of my uncles.
“What did you say?” Roberto growled, stepping forward and slapping me hard across the face. Pietro walked in beside me and glared at Roberto who didn't step back.
“You heard me,” I said, my voice shaking, my eyes bright with stars and pain from the slap. “Do you think I don’t know what you’ve been planning? Both of you would tear this family apart if it meant taking control. You’d let us die if my father's men would be loyal to you. I won’t let that happen.”
Roberto stepped closer again. his fists clenched. “Careful, Alina.”
“Stop it!” Valentina said, standing up. She was weeping softly. Adraino was watching wide eyed. His childhood ruined before it had even started. “All of you, stop it!”
Angelo looked at me, his face cold. “You’re making a mistake, Alina. A mistake that will cost all of us.”
“Maybe,” I said. “But it’s my mistake to make.”
I turned and walked out of the room, my legs shaking with every step.
By the time I reached my father’s office, my hands were shaking too. I pushed the door open and sat down behind his desk, trying and failing to stop the tears in my eyes from flowing out.
A knock came at the door. I sat up and cleaned my eyes.
“Alina?” My mother’s voice was soft outside the door.
“Come in,” I said.
She stepped inside, closing the door gently. She didn’t sit down, just stood there, looking at me.
“Are you sure about this?” she asked. Mother was beautiful. Stunning even. She looked like a model even though she was almost fifty.
“Yes,” I said. “I am.”
Her shoulders sagged a little, and for the first time, I saw the worry in her eyes. “You don’t have to do this, Alina. We can find another way.”
“There is no other way,” I said, my voice breaking. “Luca is our best chance. He’s the only one strong enough to keep us safe. You saw Roberto just slap me. He will kill us all if he can.”
She walked over to me, reaching for my hand. “Do you even know what you’re getting yourself into? What he’s capable of?”
“I know,” I said. “And I’m ready. I saw two dead men today, mother. I know.”
She squeezed my hand, her eyes filling with tears. “Alina, I love you. I love you so much. But you have to be ready for what comes next. Once you make this choice, there’s no going back.”
“I know,” I said again, my voice barely above a whisper.
She wiped at her eyes and straightened. “If you do this, you’ll have to deal with the consequences.”
I nodded.
The phone in my pocket rang before I could think of what to say, making me jump. I pulled it out, my hands trembling as I saw Luca’s name on the screen.
I answered, my voice shaking. “Hello?”
“Alina,” his deep voice rumbled through the line. “I’ve made my decision.”
My heart stopped.
“I’ll marry you.”
He ended the call before I could respond.
I lowered the phone slowly, my hands shaking for completely different reasons now. His cold voice had calmed me.
My mother was watching me. “Was that him?”
“Yes,” I said, my voice shaky.
She closed her eyes and sighed. “Then it’s done.”
I sat there, staring at the desk, my heart pounding. I’d won.
But at what cost?
ALINAMy maid arranged the lace sleeves of my wedding gown for the third time. She put string of pearls around my neck, the coolness of the beads heavy against my skin. "You look beautiful, signorina," she whispered.I gave her a weak smile, my heart hammering too loudly to say thank you. My reflection in the mirror looked like someone else. The dress was beautiful, a classic white gown that tight around my waist and flared out at my hips.The door was pushed open and Valentina burst through the door. She looked stunning in her red dress, but her face was white with worry.She had tried to convince me to cancel the wedding for two days now. I had refused. “Out,” she said, waving a hand at the maid.The girl stopped, but I nodded, and she ran out. “Alina, are you serious about this?” Valentina grabbed my shoulders, shaking me lightly. “Do you know what you’re doing?”“I’m walking down that aisle and marrying Luca,” I said, though my heart was racing. Luca and I had settled on a dat
ALINA“I'm the one who packed your bags.” Mother said. My tears dried up at once. Why would she do that to me? “I didn't agree to move in with Luca, Mother.” She shook her head, smiling sadly. “In the Mafia, it doesn't matter, Alina. You will obey Luca. Whatever he says is the law to you.” “But I have so much to do here. I must organize my father's estate. The men are already feeling restless for some direction.” “The men will not listen to you, Alina. Not without Luca backing you. And Luca will not back you if you do not obey him. Don't you understand? He owns you now.” I backed away from my mother, lifted my wedding dress and ran away. Her words “he owns you now” went around and around my head. I hadn't thought this far ahead. I really hadn't expected any of this. My idea of it had been that with Luca’s name, no one would dare command me around. But now, it seemed Luca would be giving all the commands. I need to find Pietro. If I am moving into Luca’s mansion, then he is goin
LUCALuca stepped into the room, tearing his suit off. He couldn't remember the last time he had worn one. He snapped a finger at Demetrius, one of his men. “Pour me a drink. Make it a strong one.” Marco waved Demetrius away, and poured the drink himself. He squeezed half a lemon inside the gin, and brought it over. “Don't get drunk. You still have to bed your wife.” Luca grunted and gulped down half of the drink. He grunted, faking a groan. Marco laughed, tipping back half his drink too. “To your marriage. May it give us healthy sons and daughters. Sons especially.”Luca closed his eyes, remembering Alina's wide eyes as she stared up at him, her teeth biting into her lower lip. Oh definitely, they would make children. Lots of them if she kept staring at him like that. “She's going to be a wild one.” Marco said, sitting across from Luca. They had a meeting in three minutes. Someone had thrown a body over his wall, Luca wanted to find out who it was. He was at his small house. A s
ALINAI felt my heart climb up my stomach and into my chest. I ran over to Luca, throwing my arms around his shoulder. He winced, and I jerked my hands away.They were stained with blood.Oh God.I had Luca’s blood on my hands. The thought made me stumble as my heart started racing. “What happened?” I hurried to the bed and pulled the sheets off, throwing them on the floor. Luca sat on the edge of the bed.He grunted, gritting his teeth as he looked up at me with angry eyes. “Someone shot at me and Marco.”I inhaled and exhaled. Luca was the King of the Mafia. The Monster. This was normal to him, probably. I wouldn’t lose my cool.I knelt in front of him and started unbuttoning his shirt. “Damn it, Luca. This is our wedding night. The least you could have done was return to me in one piece.”He groaned when I peeled the bloody shirt off his shoulders. “I fucking tried. What do you think I was doing? Waiting there for them to shoot at me like a living target?”I could tell he was in p
LUCAMy hands were shaking, all the blood rushing from my head down to my cock. I could feel how hard it was pressing against my pants.Alina’s eyes were closed tight, her chest rising and falling hard.I growled. “Go on.”She opened her eyes. “Marco is outside the door.”I rolled my eyes. “To hell with Marco.”As if he had heard my words, Marco banged on the door again. For fuck’s sake!I closed my eyes and forced my hands to stay steady. I took a large step away from Alina. “Stay in bed. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”I stepped into her and kissed her long and hard. She was too shocked to kiss me back, but I liked her soft lips against mine.I pulled her gently from the door, stepped outside, and closed it. Marco was covered in blood too.He also looked very sorry, which didn’t make me feel any better. “Marco. You could have given me a few minutes before banging on my door like that.”Marco grinned. “Did I interrupt something?”I walked by him, fists at my side, begging my cock to
ALINAI opened my eyes, moaning softly as the light coming from the window stabbed my eyes.It was morning already. I closed my eyes again, deciding I really had signed up for more than I could take.I remembered Luca standing in front of that man, his cock falling to the floor like it had never been attached to a human body.“Alina?”I opened my eyes again. Luca was sitting beside my bed. I watched him silently for a second. How could someone so handsome be so devious?Luca was dressed in a black shirt that stretched tight across his shoulders and highlighted his hard stomach.His thighs were thick in his black pants.His thick hair fell over his eyes like he had been running his hand through it all night.I looked away, swallowing hard to clear my throat. My mouth felt too thick, same as my throat. “Did you really cut off his…”Luca stood and came to the bed. He took my hand in his. “Yes, Alina. Sometimes, we have to be evil to stay alive. They almost killed me.”I swallowed again,
ALINAI took a shower, dressed, and left my room in less than ten minutes.Pietro was standing outside my door. "He's in the living room."I nodded, dragging my hair into a ponytail. "Does Luca know he's here?""No. I believe he left for his meeting before your uncle arrived. Would you like me to inform him of the guest in his house?"I shook my head. I could deal with my uncle myself. He wasn't the kind of enemy I needed Luca's help with.When I reached the dining room, I found Uncle Roberto seated at the table, eating the breakfast one of the housekeepers had prepared for him. He took small, precise bites, like he was a gentleman, and not someone who had blood on his hands.I inhaled deeply. The last time I had spoken to him, he had slapped me.He wouldn't dare today. I knew that, but my heart still beat too fast.And it wasn’t with the excitement I had felt earlier this morning when Luca’s head was between my breasts."Uncle Roberto," I greeted, bending to kiss both his cheeks.He
LUCAAlina’s look of shocked confusion was almost funny.Her face was burning, and she looked stunning, standing there with her hair around her shoulders, her eyes hot enough to burn.She rolled her neck. “I suspect he did. Why? What do you know?”I shrugged, pulling my jacket off my shoulder. “Nothing.”Alina came over to me. She lifted her large eyes to mine. Her pupils were wide and dilated like they had been that morning. “I'm sorry, I told Pietro not to call you.”“It wasn't Pietro who called me.” I dropped the jacket on the floor, and she picked it up at once, folding it carefully and dropping it on the bed.I sat on the bed, and she sat beside me. I lifted her, dumping her on my lap. She was still shaking. I kissed her ear. “Hey, relax. Your uncle can't do a thing to you.”She nodded, her shoulders relaxing slowly. She exhaled. “Trust me, I know that.”I turned her so her legs went around my waist. She snuggled into me. “I was asking about your father. Do you suspect that Rober
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