ALESSANDRO "You owe me!" At this point, I'm pretty sure that Edward Whittle is going to have a heart attack right here in my office. He better not keel over and die before he gives me that damn confession. I lift my eyebrows in surprise. "I don't owe you anything, Edward, and all I'm asking is for full disclosure of a company you expect me to pay twenty-three million dollars for. As you can imagine, that kind of money isn't just lying around." Defeat crosses over Whittle's expression, and he walks over to the couch and sinks onto it, his head falling in his hands. "What's really going on, Edward?" I prompt calmly, moving to sit next to him. I rest my hand in comfort on his shoulder. My skin burns where it touches him, disgust for the high-class addict searing through me, but I breathe through it. This is what I have to do in order to keep my family safe. "I fucked up." He starts sniffing, and I realize he's crying. I squeeze his shoulder in the act of support when, in reality,
I slick one of the younger members in the mafia to follow Whittle. The guy sounded surprised when I called him. He's currently a freshman at the same university Farrah attended, but right now, I don't know who to trust, and the younger generation at least has respect for me. I don't have time to follow the bastard with the satellite technology I usually use. I have one more fish to fry. My heart aches as I stop opposite the safehouse, knowing that my reason for breathing is inside, probably fuming by now. She hates being kept out of the loop, but I'd rather her be mad than be in danger. It doesn't matter how safe I'm being, there are still always the possibility that someone is following me. Thomas being an absolute badass, doesn't even come from the safehouse's direction. He comes walking down the sidewalk as if he's coming from somewhere totally different, wearing a hoodie that conceals his face. The only way I recognize him is from his bodybuild. I unlock the door, and he slide
ALESSANDRO My apartment is quiet as I lean back in my office chair and look out the window at the city lights. This doesn't feel like my home anymore. Looking back, maybe it never did. It was a place where I slept and got dressed and occasionally ate. I've never had a woman over to spend the night, I never wanted them to get any ideas. Farrah was the first. She's the first and only in so many things. My hands are itching to touch her smooth skin, to caress the tiny bump that is housing our babies. She's probably slapping or maybe stabbing me the next time I see her. It's almost the new year, and there is nowhere I'd rather be than by her side, so I have to squash the cockroaches before then. I only have a few days left. My phone ringing halts my thoughts, and Enzo's name flashes on the screen. He's currently stationed at one of the clubs because I thought we didn't need any more bodyguards. Guess the joke is on me. "Enzo, to what do I owe the pleasure." I check the time on the
ALESSANDRO Blood rushes to my ears as I run from the office, the employees on the floor staring at me in confusion. I vaguely hear Ray calling me, but I only have one mission. Get to the hospital. I've never felt panic like this in my life. Not even when I found my mother bloodied and beaten, or my father dead. It feels like my wedding band is burning a circle on my finger as I drive like a maniac, the other drivers laying on their horns and surely swearing at me. But I don't care. Farrah is bleeding, and that can't mean anything good. I want those babies like my next breath. They've become a manifestation of my love for her. One wasn't enough to demonstrate how much she means to me. It had to be three. Prayers spill from my lips, I ask my mother and father to look out for my family if they're out there. If something happens to Farrah, everything I've done would have been for nothing. I'm nothing without her. I don't want to live in a world where she's not in it. Thomas is s
FARRAH "At this stage, I think the universe is out to get us Simpson women and trying to stop us from procreating." Phoebe fluffs my pillow from what seems like the thousandth time. "And don't fucking scare me again, please. I only have one heart, and I still want to be alive for many, many years." I don't answer her. I'm too fucking pissed off to talk right now, and I'm also feeling a little dizzy from losing blood. That motherfucker left me in the fucking hospital. I know something is going on, something big. And I'm left in the dark like some fucking weakling. There's a knock on the door, and Dr. Sanchez enters with a smile. "Knock, knock! I see you've settled in nicely." "Yeah." I look at the blood that's currently going into my vein in my left arm. "And being a vampire." Dr. Sanchez chuckles. "Small price to pay for healthy babies, right?" "You better come out healthy, or I'll spank you!" Phoebe talks to my stomach, and I shake my head at her craziness. "We'll do everythi
ALESSANDRO I lean back in the rickety chair of the interrogation room, taking a sip of the horrible coffee. Surely the Fed's can afford something better than this? The door opens, and Agent Connely walks in, smirking when he catches the look on my face after I tasted the horror of the awful coffee. "Yeah, rather don't drink that." He takes the chair opposite me and throws a file on the table. "Are you sure you want to do this? You can walk out the door right now and go on with your life. You fulfilled your part of the bargain." "I'm sure, book me." I push the coffee away from me. "Guess I'm going to have to get used to this coffee if I'm going to jail, right?" "Apart from undercover agents, I've never met a man who willingly wanted to go to jail." Connely shakes his head. "They're already calling me a snitch on the streets. If I walk away from this unscathed, they will know that it's true." I tell him. On the streets, being a snitch is the worst asshole one can be. And I'm sure
ALESSANDRO I hope Farrah is okay. By now, she must know that I'm arrested. I told her about the Whittle deal I made with the FBI, so I just hope she knows I will be all rightI can't have her worrying about me when she's in the hospital trying to stay alive and keep our babies out of harm's way. I have to do this so that the rest of the people in the mafia think I'm still dealing with illegal shit. If they knew me, they would know I don't dabble in humans, but the older men won't have a problem with it. Connely escorts me himself to the cells after they've taken my fingerprints and picture and all of my personal belongings. This is the city, and so crimes are being committed every second, so the cells here are always full. This is not my first time being booked. I was seventeen when I first got picked up by the cops for fighting, but that charge never stuck. My father paid who he had to, and I never even made it to the bail hearing. The officer with us is definitely not on my pa
FARRAH There's a cold compress on my forehead, and Phoebe is now massaging my feet with what smells like lavender and mint. Classical music is playing, creating a calm atmosphere. Supposedly calm according to my sister, who is trying to get my mind off the fact that my husband is fucking locked up. For human trafficking no less. I know he has the deal with the FBI, so why the hell did they arrest him? I don't have the heart to tell Phoebe that the smell of mint is actually making me nauseous. She's been doing everything to try to keep me calm ever since we saw the damn news. The media is probably having a field day. There's a soft knock, and I open my eyes to see Dario's head pop into the door. He's a sight for sore eyes. "Can I come in?" He asks softly. I press the button to elevate the bed. "Please, and switch off that music for fuck's sake!" Phoebe looks offended and immediately stops massaging my feet. "For your information, playing classical music during pregnancy helps