Cassandria POV.FOUR MONTHS LATER!I used to love doing this as a child. Laying in the dewy grass looking up at the sky, especially if there were clouds, so I could let my imagination run wild. But without the taste of blood in my mouth and the winded feeling in my gut.“Ohh, look at you. On your back panting for breath. Tap out, little one, you are not ready.” The mocking, arrogant asshole that is Ivan is blocking my sun with his taunts as he leans down, trying to make me feel inferior. But fuck him.He stands and holds his bear paw of a hand out for me to take. I slap it away and roll onto my knees with a groan, and spit the blood into the grass. I stand up, catching my breath.“That’s it, little one, run along. You don’t have what it takes to beat me.” I look at him over my shoulder and smile at him, my eyes watching him. A glint in them, a promise of both pain and humiliation that I, a little five foot eight girl, will take down the Russian mountain.“Keep telling yourself that, p
Cassandria POV.“Cass, earth to Cass, snap out of it!” fingers click in my face and I blink to come out the momentary stun.“I’m fine.” I say as I walk towards the bar. I grab a bottle of vodka and open the lid and drink it down. Allowing the burn to remind me I’m here, I’m alive and he can’t hurt me anymore.“Did any of you know about this?” I ask as I look at the wall. This is a new betrayal. After I shared my pain of everything that bastard did to me and many other women, why is he with Matteo? Was this planned all along? Is it because I left?“No, we didn’t know, but you need to listen before you go all stabby stabby.” Dimitri says and I take a breath to calm my racing and anxious heart.“I’m listening.” I say as I lean against the wall, looking at him and not the news interview.“Valentina has connections with Cur …” I hold my hand up and I shake my head.“With that man, Matteo thinks she is connected somehow with the trafficking. Do you know why Matteo is so against it?” he asks
Cassandria POV.I’m woken by the sound of an alarm blurring in the villa. I sit up and climb out of bed as the bedroom door opens and Ivan comes into view. His finger to his mouth. Tati comes in behind him holding a vest and gun. She hands them to me.I take them with shaking hands and put the vest on and grab the gun.“There is a breach. We need to move. Stay down, stay calm and don’t fucking hesitate.” He says and I gulp, nodding my head as I hear the first shot fired. I jump and yelp as I duck down. Ivan grabs me and shoves me behind him. I’m shaking as I hear screams, then multiple bursts.I grab the back of his vest, and Tati has me.“We move as one. Remember your training, Cass. This is real, not a drill.” Tati says and all I can hear is the blood pumping in my ears. We inch closer to the stairs, hearing more screams and shouts coming from outside and inside.“DOWN!” Ivan shouts, and I hit the floor as he fires his gun. I lay there in shock. I’m grabbed up and dragged around. It
Matteo POV.No sooner had Alina and Dimitri arrived than we received the news that Francesco and Sophie were killed in the compound in Sicily. The only word we have is that the staff and the occupants were slaughtered, but Cass and her team are still alive. We have all tried to call them, but no answer. But we have kept trying. I have a feeling in my gut that something bad has happened to her. To my Regina, tesoro mio.One of the local police officers reached out to me and so here we are, in Sicily. We are speeding towards the compound. Andros is beside himself. We don’t know who it was who attacked the compound, but I have an idea. My only thoughts are getting to Cass, and fast.We drive through the gates of the compound and park up. No sooner has the cars stopped Andros is out and running to find his sister.“Where is she?” he shouts as he runs through the villa, shouting her name. I look around and see the grass littered with blood and shell casings. This was organised. They came h
Cassandria POV.“I’m sorry, Mrs Black, but the crash has left you infertile.” Those words swirl around my head and a part of me is happy for that fact, but the other part is devastated. I’m happy because I escaped my fate of being married to him. But at the age of twenty-five, I do or did want a child. It won’t happen now because of him. I was twenty-one when I married him. The monster known as Curtis Black.It has been a year since that crash and I am away from him and that is what matters. I lost everything when I married him. My freedom, my sanity, my friends, and family, hell, I nearly lost my parent’s company and my life. I’m well rid of him and his sadistic, drug-fuelled ways.“Hey, little one. Where did you go?” I take in a breath as I look up at my big brother Andros, who is looking at me with worry in his ice-blue eyes, the same as mine. I smile at him as I open the laptop to start this meeting with the company shareholders. It’s three in the morning here in LA and the meetin
Cassandria POV.The last month has been difficult as what would be my wedding anniversary is approaching and I know I will break down. Everything is still pretty fresh in my mind and I’m finding it harder and harder to hold the memories off.I have been waking in the night covered in sweat and shaking as I relive the memories. So I have not been sleeping. Andros knows something is wrong, but I brush it off. Lying to him that I am working on designs for the latest contracts. I know he knows I’m lying, but he won’t push me for the truth.Tonight I am being taken to a new exclusive night club called Sinners and Saints. Apparently everybody who is anybody in this town will be there. So I have to go. Even though I would rather stay home surrounded by snacks and crappy TV. But Lola has other ideas.Lola is Andros’s girlfriend. I caught them in the kitchen and that is an image I need acid to remove. Apparently, they have been dating for nearly a year and he didn’t tell me because he didn’t w
Matteo POV.This meeting is draining. The nightclub Sinners and Saints is the newest property in my inventory. I don’t usually do my illegal business deals in my legitimate businesses, but then again, I’m untouchable. So I can do whatever the fuck I want.Right now, I am looking at the son of a bitch who is sitting in front of me, squirming in his seat. I may be the mafia king and anything is fair fucking game. But I draw the line at human trafficking. All the families agreed to that law when I took over ten years ago.So this piece of shit Michael Santo thought he could go under the radar. He is wrong and he won’t make it out of this building alive.The club isn’t open yet and for good reason. Even though the authorities can’t do shit to me, I don’t want members of the public to see his corpse being carried out of here.“Tell me Michael. How’s business?” I ask as I sit watching him like a hawk. He begins to relax. The stupid cunt thinks he can get one up on me? It’s laughable, really
Cassandria POV.The sex god is Matteo DeAngelis. Bloody hell!“Andros, I need to erm, go.” I say as I look at my big brother and his smile disappears, and he moves to me.“What’s wrong?” he asks, and I turn and walk back to the VIP section, pushing past people to get to my clutch so I can go home. I have just been grinding on the damn mafia king who is my big brother’s best friend and boss. Could the ground open up and swallow me whole, please?A hand grabs my wrist and I feel what can be described as static run up my arm and I gasp as I turn and bump into his hard chest.“Don’t run from me. I won’t hurt you,” he says and I gulp, getting lost in his eyes. I nod my head and smile softly at him as I look down. His fingers move to my chin and he tilts my head back. And it’s like he is looking into my soul and I shiver.“Matteo. Who is this bitch!” I’m snapped out of the stare off with him as I look at the woman glaring at me seething with rage. Now she is a barbie doll. Typical LA brat.