FABIO’S POV The cool evening breeze crashed against my face as I stood on the balcony, enjoying the view of the city that my mansion offered. It was drizzling, and the heavy rain was slowly coming to a stop. The distant roaring of thunder was like a soothing lullaby. The drink in my hand swirled as I nursed it before taking a swig, old memories resurfaced and they only managed to make me cringe. Whenever I remembered the injustice my father did to me, a fresh wave of anger bubbled within my chest. I met all the requirements, I was married and even had kids, but when he was looking for a capo, he went straight for my twin without even giving me a chance. “Sir, someone is here to see you, Charles, the private Investigator,” my security man said to me. “Let him in, lead him here to the balcony, I'll be waiting.” The security nodded and then left. I made my way back to the chair and plopped down on the couch. Shortly after, Charles joined me at the balcony. A smirk playe
RODRIGO’S PPV The car sped down the highway, accelerating dangerously with my hands wrapped tightly around the steering wheel. The videos from the flash drive replayed in my mind. It didn't come as a shock to me because of the circumstances Tanya and I met. She was supposed to be my escort for the night. I shook my head to banish the inappropriate thoughts in my mind. How did Fabio even get a hold of those clips? He must have done some serious digging. What if he found out that I lied about my relationship with Tanya? I heaved a deep sigh when suddenly my eyes widened in surprise. My foot jammed the brakes, and the car screeched to a stop. The seatbelt secured me to my seat. The smell of burning rubber invaded my nostrils. I craned my neck forward to get a clearer view of what suddenly ran into the road carelessly. It was a white cat licking its paws. I threw my back against my seat and breathed sharply. *** My headlamps cast a warm orange glow against the gravel s
TANYA’S POVAfter our passionate night in his home office, we still headed to his room and continued our lovemaking for several rounds.I opened my eyes to find myself entangled with Rodrigo in the bed; the only piece of clothes covering us was the blanket.We were body-naked under the sheets. Something about this level of intimacy made my cheek turn a bright shade of pink.His warmth radiated from him, and I snuggled up with him; if only I could crawl into his skin and bury myself there, I'd have done it.A small smile played on my lips as I recalled the details of our night, and then a satisfied breath escaped my nostrils.It seemed my moving around had alerted Rodrigo because he stirred awake from his sleep. “Good morning,” I whispered in his ear.He just stared into space, and I could feel my heart drop; the facial expression was very familiar. He slowly withdrew his big arm from around my waist, almost causing me to whine in protest.“Rodrigo,” I called in a guarded tone.He peel
RODRIGO’S POV The evening skies were littered with stars, and the night breeze was calm and relaxing, creating the perfect opportunity to sit outside and catch a breath. As I sat by the pool in the evening, the cool breeze playing with my hair, I held a glass of whiskey in my hand, the amber liquid swirling gently as I stirred the glass absentmindedly. The whole bottle rested on the floor beside my chair, a silent companion to my solitude. The pool water shimmered under the fading sunlight, its surface rippling with a hypnotic dance. It offered a brief distraction from the turmoil brewing within me. I was lost in my thoughts when Anthonio's quiet presence interrupted my solitude. He joined me by the poolside, his footsteps barely audible against the soft murmur of the evening. He informed me that he had gathered as much information as possible about Don. Anthonio spoke of Don's private and enigmatic nature, but I found it hard to focus on his words. Anthonio's concern wa
Tanya's povHe was lucky he gave me the card back. I had been prepared to take it all out on him if he decided to play stubbornly with it. My hands traced the outline of the thin card as I tapped on my messages. As I hoped, there was a message from the unknown account.'where?'Oh, she thought. I expected a call or something else, not an actual physical meeting. It was typical of him to want to stay hidden.Then it was a good thing I was going shopping tomorrow. That was the perfect excuse to get out of the house. I grinned slightly. This was my chance to end my deal with this stranger before someone got hurt. The last present he sent was a clock. I felt sure that the next one wouldn't be as tame. I placed the card on the bed and typed out my reply.'12 am, Royal Pavilion. Table 10'There was no reply to that. How could I be sure he agreed? But I also couldn't keep the chat open. Rodrigo might check my phone without my knowledge, and I'd die. I blocked the account and archived it ag
TANYA’S POVI looked up from the page and glanced around. To call or not to call, that was the question. I felt disoriented and pissed that he had only left a call number for me after all the trouble I went through to get here. I ticked the paper into my purse, making a mental note to call later when I was in the house. Then, a thought popped into my mind. Would that even be possible? Rodrigo probably had listening devices in every room of his house. I had already seen security cameras at strategic places, and they were so small I wouldn't have noticed if I hadn't searched for them. The lack of privacy pissed me off at first, but I understood why he needed them. He lived a dangerous life, so he had to keep constant watch. I only wished I wasn't dragged into his danger. It was because I him I was in this scenario. I guess I wouldn't be able to call at home then. I sat on one of the chairs and waved off the approached waiter. I punched in the digits and listened to the monotonous ri
RODRIGO’S POV"You were saying something about this Don guy the other day?" I said, glancing back as Antonio approached."Where to start from?" Antonio muttered. "Oh, you read through the backstory?"I nodded, pushing the pages away to another side of the table. While Tanya showed up, hell-bent on disturbing me with her unnecessary whining, I was busy reviewing the information gathered against my newest opponent.He sure wasn't one to keep clean and play safe. Five different states in South America wanted him, and there was not one report of his arrest. Interesting."I thought I was good at evading the law, but this guy's a pro," I said, thinking about what I read."It's said he dances around the police just for amusement," Antonio added. He stopped in front of me and leaned his hand against the mahogany table."The careless ones are the most annoying. They waste good men in their little games with the police."It wasn't like my family didn't have a few run-ins with the law officials,
TANYA’S POVI averted my eyes from Rodrigo's intimidating glare as he studied me. The sunlight through the open windows highlighted his features, adding to his commanding presence. Why did he care if I seemed upset? My earlier conviction that he had sinister intentions was wavering, but I couldn't afford to let my guard down."No, it's better if I don't pay too much attention to this," I thought. But then, my mind drifted to the men he fought off at the ice cream shop that day. There had to be some truth to his concern for me.I mentally chastised myself for pondering something so trivial when I had a much bigger secret to keep. Rodrigo asked for the truth, but revealing it would mean instant death. I wasn't ready for that; I'd rather run than stay here and face his wrath for betrayal.I considered that when I went to my room a few minutes after returning to the house. We still went to the mall to get a few things to make my outing appear convincing, even if the interest in shopping h