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Longing For an Old Life
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Taken by the Mafia King Lunch with the Hand of Death
SeraThe main kitchen swarmed with staff as I followed Killian. Surprisingly, Mikey stood next to one of the cooks, arguing with him about something. Was he trying to teach him how to make my version of chicken parm?He saw me and smiled, waving. I dipped my head in a silent greeting and rushed to keep in step with Killian, whose stride was twice the length of mine. I was slightly out of breath by the time I reached his side again. Why did he always have to walk like he was tracking someone down to slaughter them?“Where are we now?”“You’re telling me you haven’t taken the time to look in every door of this place?” He smirked at me and pushed open a set of double doors.“Not yet,” I muttered, but then I stopped in my tracks, gasping.I’d never seen anything like this atrium before. Three stories high and totally protected from the elements outside, it even had an indoor swimming pool glistening on the far side of the room, steam rising from the water. A tropical scent wafted off the
Taken by the Mafia King I'll Sell You
KillianIt was evident by the look on her face that Sera had no idea about the true nature of her brother. I didn’t want to be the one to tell her. Fuck, I wished she didn’t need to know at all. But I’d opened that can of worms, and they’d spilled everywhere. There was no fucking way to shove them back in.Besides, if she was ever going to trust me, she had to know the why behind the murder that made her think I was the most ruthless man in the world.“Your father is one of the most powerful crime bosses in the country, Sera. He raised your brother to take over his enterprise one day, and Leo? He excelled.”“So you took him out?”“No, that’s not why.” I leaned back in my chair, eyeing her as I crossed my arms over my chest.“So tell me.” Her voice was just a whisper, tears sliding down her cheeks. Even now, with the anger against me building and face streaked from crying, she was the most gorgeous woman I’d ever seen.“Now isn’t the time.”She looked away from me and over at the pool.
Taken by the Mafia King Sera Goes Over the Wall
SeraHurt gripped my body as I watched Killian walk away. Confusion blurred my senses. Only a nudge from the horse I’d been petting broke me out of a heartbreaking haze. I clucked at the Thunder, scratching his nose as a single tear rolled down my cheek.What just happened? Killian, who’d just opened up to me more than he had in all the weeks I’d been locked up in his home, had said he would sell me to someone who wanted to marry me?“That doesn’t make any sense,” I said to the Thunder. “Did it make sense to you?”A different horse whinnied behind me. It sounded to me like a comforting eyeroll in horse speak. I smiled over my shoulder at the brown mare. “Exactly.”I breathed deeply, trying to shake myself out of whatever spell Killian had cast before he left.Sleeping with him was one thing. But falling for him?“No,” I said to myself, then patted Thunder on the head before walking out into the crisp, overcast day.I expected guards to be visible outside. But Killian had left me comp
Taken by the Mafia King Sera Loses Her Mind
Sera“You’re going to get us both killed!” Mikey growled, pulling me up off the ground. My bloodied fingers cried out in pain as I got to my feet. Trying to break free from him, I stumbled, falling backward on my ass. I was soaking wet and bruised. He’d caught me, but the damage was already done. Leaves and twigs stuck to my expensive coat, and my boots were beyond repair at this point.I was a fucking mess in more ways than one. “Just leave me alone!” I begged him.“I’m not letting you fucking escape!” he shouted, throwing his hands in the air. “What the hell are you thinking?”“I’m thinking your boss is using me as collateral and fucking with my head!”Mikey went quiet. His dark eyes focused on the ground before lifting to me. “Killian wouldn’t do that.”“Wouldn’t he?”He looked up at me with a guilt-ridden expression. “You have to come back inside right now and get cleaned up before he sees you like this.”“Because he’ll be angry with me?” I mocked, rising unsteadily to my feet but
Taken by the Mafia King I Want the Bianchi Girl
KillianThe quiet in my office didn’t ease the ache in my chest after abandoning Sera outside and running away from her. I’d had to do it. I couldn’t stand there and act like what I’d said about selling her to someone who wanted to marry her was actually how I felt.I knew what I’d meant. Maybe she had too. Maybe she’d seen the truth in my eyes before I’d turned my back on her.I couldn’t deny myself of her any longer. I’d proven that I was weak the second I slid back into her bed a few nights ago. I hadn’t just fucked her, either. It had started like that, with me bossing her around and denying her when she’d alluded to wanting to be on her knees for me. But something had snapped my resolve, and I’d needed to see her face while I’d felt every inch of her perfect body. I didn’t want it to be rough, not with her. I just wanted her, and that scared me to death.The Hand of Death didn’t scare easily.The power she had over me tore me to pieces. My mother had been right when she said my w
Taken by the Mafia King Married to the Mob
SeraA large, cozy parlor faced the eastern side of the property. The furniture and decor were masculine with black velvet couches situated around a large marble fireplace. Veins in similar dark tones coursed through the stone. Having never been here before, I took a moment to take it in, seeing Killian’s taste everywhere I looked.Mikey smiled broadly as a young woman with fiery red hair piled on top of her head turned to face us. Her dark eyes widened with both pleasure and surprise as she looked from him to me.“Hey, Pen.” He grinned, nudging me forward. “This is the woman I was talking to you about. Sera, meet my wife.”Penelope heaved herself up from the couch, her smile widening. The size of her stomach shocked me but I did my best to hide it. When Mikey told me she was pregnant I imagined her early in her pregnancy, but she looked like she was ready to pop.“Nice to meet you, Sera.” She offered her hand, but as I reached for it, she exclaimed, “What the hell did you do to her?”
Taken by the Mafia King A Desperate Marino
KillianNiccolò Marino’s frustrated sigh cut through the room. I set my phone down, pressed a button, and put him on speaker.“Do you realize how much money I just offered you for that whore?” Every word he spat was laced with venom.“We’re not talking about just any whore, Niccolò.” I yawned loudly enough for him to hear it, even though anger flared inside me. The word whore left a bitter taste in my mouth. Sera was no whore, but I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing the full extent of my intentions toward her. “She is the only living child of Andre Bianchi.”“So? We’re talking about a female, Ricci.”I arched my brow and twisted in my chair. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree with this one. Riccardo Marino, Niccolò’s father, was the boss who hosted the auction every year. Though he treated his many personal dames like queens, he still didn’t see them as equal to men or else he wouldn’t buy and sell them the way he did.To Riccardo, ending up as one of his women
Taken by the Mafia King Killian's Wrath
SeraPenelope meant for me to stay with her the entire afternoon, and I had no issue with it at all. Once the tense, somewhat awkward conversation about what being married to the mafia was like for her and Mikey, a major shift took place. We moved on to lighter topics, ones that helped me forget about my earlier escapade and my current status as a prisoner.“Mikey wants to name him Ronald.” Penelope groaned and rolled her eyes.“Why?” I laughed, adjusting the blanket over my knees. We were sitting in the parlor still, watching fresh snow fall through the window. The black curtains were a stark contrast to the fluttering white flakes.“I like the sound of Ronnie.” Mikey grinned, and I could tell he was only trying to get a rise out of his wife.“We’ve already crossed that name off the list,” she said with a dramatic flip of her hair. “Anyway, I can’t name him until I see him for the first time. What if we settle on Jackson, and he comes out looking more like a Theodore?”I giggled into
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Taken by the Mafia King Epilogue
PaigeI stood in the vestibule outside of the chapel, clutching my flowers, my heart hammering in my chest. Organ music belted through the doors, and I was just waiting for my cue.We all were. My two bridesmaids, in simple maroon dresses, stood ahead of me. Like she could feel my eyes, Lauren turned back and winked. I smiled. The dress looked spectacular on her, and I’d promised up and down that Tom would invite enough handsome men for her to go home with a date. This, of course, had been complicated by Tom choosing Killian and Stan as his two groomsmen. While I liked the older man, and he kept Lauren laughing, I didn’t exactly see the two of them as a couple.Mom stepped up next to me with a smile. Her mother-of-the-bride dress, a deep burgundy gown with gold accents, caught the light and sent it dancing. “Are you excited?”I inhaled sharply. “I kind of can’t stop thinking about the seating chart for the reception. Who have I become?”She laughed. “Your father.”Tears beaded in my e
Taken by the Mafia King Old Time's Sake
KillianI sat behind my desk and looked out over my men. Tommaso took his usual seat. Adrian hovered in the corner like he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself yet, just like he had at the beginning. Patrick was still laughing about spilling his wine. Just like old times. I stood and started pouring everyone drinks.“So,” I said, “do you have an update on the warehouses, Adrian?”He started toward my desk, then paused. An odd moment passed. It wasn’t really my desk anymore. I’d left the hunk of wood behind because I had no need for it on the island, and he’d loaded it down with computers in my absence. Despite that, I’d never seen anyone sit behind it but my father besides me.I offered Adrian a drink. “Sit.”He nodded. “Didn’t want to step on your toes. The situation is pretty simple, all told, but I can tell there’s a certain amount of grace I’m supposed to be handling this foreman with, and I don’t—”Tommaso joined me at the bar to pour. “Do you remember that foreman in the so
Taken by the Mafia King Big News
PaigeI tucked my arm through Tom’s and straightened my long, floral romper. He kissed me on the cheek, then knocked on the door. Joyce swung it open.“Hello!” She welcomed us both in with hugs. “Mr. and Mrs. Ricci are in the drawing room. Please, come in.”We let ourselves be bustled through the door, the wine we’d brought carried off to the kitchen, and our coats taken to some closet somewhere in the mansion. Adrian used it as a base of operations when Killian and Sera weren’t home, so I’d been here a few times since the wedding, but I’d never felt comfortable here. Finally, we were led to the closed doors of the drawing room, and Tom opened them with a smile.Inside, we found not only “Mr. and Mrs. Ricci,” but also Olivia and Patrick, Adrian and Penny—who still wouldn’t even talk about their dance at the wedding—and Sera’s mother and brother, as well as Lauren. Sera leapt up to greet us, and Killian followed a few paces behind. I threw myself into the hug just as much as Sera did—I
Taken by the Mafia King Checking Up
SeraI folded a T-shirt and put it into Killian’s suitcase. “Are you sure we need to leave so soon?”He chuckled and took the T-shirt back out, then replaced it with a suit shirt. “Very, unfortunately. Adrian is in the middle of a difficult situation with one of the warehouses, and he needs a steady hand to guide him through.”My stomach churned at the thought of leaving the villa. We’d only been here for a couple of months, and we’d promised everyone we’d return, but dammit, I wasn’t ready yet. Lazing around the villa and having sex whenever the mood took us was way too fun to stop after only a few months.“But we’ll be back soon, right?” I asked like I didn’t already know.“Cara mia.” Killian took my hands. “What is happening in that head of yours?”I sighed. “I don’t know. The thought of leaving just make me kind of sick. We just got away from all that. I don’t want to be scared again.”He studied me for a long moment. “You do look a little pale. How sick is this making you exactly
Taken by the Mafia King Humdrum Excitement
PaigeI squeezed Tom’s hand in the car on the way to the airport.“Sad to be leaving?” he asked.I smiled. “Always. It’s so magical here.”He laughed. “Not just saying that because we’ve spent most of the vacation in bed?”I ran my free hand up his leg. “No, we have weekends for that at home.”“Fair enough.” He kissed the back of my hand. “I do like going on these little vacations, though. It’s a nice escape for a few days.”I nodded. I really was going to miss Paris, but I wouldn’t have wanted to stay much longer anyway. Lauren had been texting me updates about the shelter, especially the new one as women settled in. I kept thinking about how much I was missing, how much they needed me there. And I knew Tom was feeling the same. Apparently, Lyle had his sights set on someone new, and Tom was itching to pull the trigger. Anybody else would probably think we were freaks, desperate to leave a luxury vacation to get back to our grueling jobs. But those people didn’t realize just how much
Taken by the Mafia King Perfect Fit
TommasoWhen I told Paige I’d set everything up for another two days in Paris, she’d immediately insisted we spend a day shopping. I put up a cursory front of complaints, but in truth, I was perfectly happy following her from store to store and carrying her bags. Even better, she loved it when I made jokes about some of the worst, frilliest, most French things we came across. She laughed and joined in. For years, I’d heard men complaining about shopping with their girlfriends—fiancées—saying it was the most boring thing in the world, but even if we weren’t laughing up a storm as we paid our way through the most expensive boutiques in Paris, I still would’ve been having a ball. The sun was shining, she kept looking at the ring I’d put on her finger with a soft wonderment I’d never seen in her eyes anymore, and my face hurt from smiling. Paige and I could’ve made a hell of an afternoon out of reading the phone book.“Stop!” she said.I froze, my free hand twitching toward the gun I’d hi
Taken by the Mafia King Beginning of Forever
PaigeI didn’t know how long Tom and I lay there, listening to the fireworks and seeing the very top of their arcs through the sliver of windows accessible from the floor. I pillowed my head on his chest and enjoyed the steady beat of his heart. Engaged. The last time I was here, I’d been on the cusp of recovery, just starting to make strides toward the person I was today. Now, I wasn’t done—I didn’t know if there was a done for traumatized people or people in general—but I was so much better, stronger, happier than I had been.The last time Tom and I were in Paris, I’d thrown myself at him and chickened out. As much as I could stay at a private view of the Eiffel Tower, I wanted to show him just how much had changed. Just how much I meant the “yes” that had fallen so easily from my lips. I rolled on top of him.“What do you say we take this back to that hotel room you picked out?”Tom grinned and pulled me down for a kiss. I pressed myself against him, feeling every line of his body.
Taken by the Mafia King The Only Ones
PaigeI sat across from Tom in an empty, stunning restaurant in the middle of the Eiffel Tower with my head spinning like the three sips of wine I’d had with the appetizer were enough to make me drunk. He’d really rented out the Eiffel Tower. And not one floor, the whole thing. We’d ridden an empty elevator, the two-Michelin-star chef kept coming out to tell us why he’d selected particular dishes based on the information Tom had given him about our preferences, and I couldn’t hear anything but the soft classical music over the speakers. It felt like a dream.Tom took my hand. “So?”“So what?” I asked.“Was the surprise worth it?” He grinned.I looked over his suit, a forest green that brought out his eyes, worn without a tie. His dark curls tumbled into his face. I’d never seen him look so perfectly put together and so casual. He looked…well, he looked exactly like the man I’d fallen in love with. Nothing like the one who’d scared me so badly all those months ago in Cairo.“I get the
Taken by the Mafia King Peace Time
TommasoDespite how much I wanted Paige to keep that little black dress on, we had a few hours before the Tower officially emptied out for our use. I talked her into putting on something a little more walkable and keeping the lingerie on. As if to punish me for my restraint, she picked a pair of tiny, wide-legged shorts that showed the tops of the garters attached to her stockings every time she moved and a fitted blouse. I changed and somehow convinced myself to leave the hotel room instead of stripping everything off her and spending the hours in bed.She took my hand as we stepped into the lobby. “I should’ve known. When you plan a surprise, it’s never just one thing. Where are we off to first?”“So nosy.” I smiled.“You’re right, I’ll stop asking.” She slid the room key out of her pocket and fiddled with it for a second, then dropped it. With a small smile, she bent at the waist to pick it up, exposing those garter straps again.I grabbed her waist and hurried her the final few st
