Manfred Valderrama POV
I stare at the girl and wonder what's going through her mind. My cock is still hard and seated deep inside her warm pussy, and there seems nothing more satisfying than knowing she’s full of me. What's happening to me isn’t healthy. She is making me weak, but it appears that her lack of resistance is helping my plans go smoothly so there is little I will do about it. “Manfred.” I give her my name because I’ve decided I’d like to hear her say it.
“What?” She looks back at me with confusion on her face.
“I thought you should know the name of the man whose child you will carry.” My fingers trace over her flat stomach and the thought of it swelling keeps my cock hard inside her.
“I want to know why—”
“Shhhh.” I place a finger over her lips to silence her. “I won’t tell you why, so don’t ask.” I don’t know why I feel the need to keep it a secret from her. Maybe, I want to spare the girl from having to know what a cunt her father really is, or perhaps the fact that Steven’s daughter takes my cock and what I fill her with, so willingly, is all the revenge I need. Turns out Daniel was right, having her here will cause a war because I already know that I will never give her back. An unfamiliar urge makes me take the girl in my arms and force her onto my chest, and when her arms automatically wrap around me, I feel a heat spread through my chest that doesn’t belong there. I shouldn't be doing this, she is my prisoner. But it feels fulfilling and so I sit with her wrapped around my body for a little longer.
XXX
Amara looks surprised the following evening when Daniel brings her up to the room, on my command. It’s been sixteen hours since I fucked her in the basement, and I’ve decided that is plenty of time for her pussy to have recovered. “A bath is ready for you.” I gesture my head toward the bathroom door and she smiles at me like she’s fucking grateful, as she steps through it and closes it after her. I’m about to get out of bed and re-open it, reminding her that she is not permitted to shut me out, but I get distracted when my phone rings.
“Well, it’s happened,” Daniel tells me, sounding smug.
“What has happened?” I don’t have time for fucking guessing games.
“Steven Villafuerte is looking for her. A nationwide search has been started, he even has the cops involved on this one.”
“Fuck.” I scrub my hand over my face in frustration.
“It’s not too late, you could give her back. We can easily scare her enough never to tell her father who took her.” Daniel proves he has no idea what he’s talking about.
“It is too late, we stick to the plan.” I hang up the phone and storm straight into the bathroom. The girl looks way too relaxed for someone who’s being held against her will as she lays in my bathtub, but that calm quickly turns to shock when I grip a fistful of her hair and force her to stand up. “Do you want to marry Dennis Gregorio?”
I ask, keeping my hold firm and watching her eyes brim with fear.
“No.” She shakes her head against me, firmly.
“Your father is looking for you. So are the police. If they find you, you will have to marry that man and you will never see me again. Is that what you want?” I breathe like a fucking bull while I wait for her answer because, for some fucked-up reason, it feels really important.
“No,” she whispers, with a much weaker shake of her head. Her puzzled expression suggests that even she doesn’t understand her answer.
“Then come with me.” I drag her out of the bath by her hair, into the bedroom, and throw her soaked body onto the bed. My cock is already hard, it seems it always is when I'm near her, and as I spread her still-soapy legs and position myself between them, I let my thick tip rest between her pussy lips. “I want you to call your father and tell him you’re safe.” I take my phone in my hand and take a leap of faith when I hand it to her. “You tell him that you are happy and that you will come home when you are ready.”
“He’ll trace the call,” she warns, her hands shaking as she takes hold of it. “It’s a secure line. Now call him, and when he answers, I want you to put him on speaker phone.” I tug at her wet hair until she nods her head, and her fingers fumble to dial his number into my keypad.
“Hello.” Steven Villafuerte’s voice comes through the speaker, and hearing it builds up an even more dangerous rage inside me.
“Daddy, it’s me.” Amara does a good job of sounding calm, especially considering that I have my cock stroking between her pussy lips.
“Amara, where the hell are you?” I hear the desperation in his voice, and when I look at her to remind her what to say, she bites her lip awkwardly.
“I’m safe, I just needed to get away for a while.”
I’m relieved when she does as she’s told, how am I only just realizing what an impulsive, reckless thing putting a phone in her hand was to do? It’s another reminder of what this girl does to me. I reward Amara’s obedience by slowly edging the tip of my cock inside her, and she makes an exasperated little breath as she closes her eyes, and tries to focus on her task.
“Amara, I have everyone looking for you! I’ve been worried sick. Your friends said you went for a walk and just disappeared.”
“They were all sleeping. I called a water taxi to pick me up and take me from the island.” She impresses me by thinking on her feet and it earns her another solid inch of cock. “Daddy.” She clutches the comforter in her free hand as I slowly roll my hips and stir myself inside her.
“Yes?”
“Please don’t come looking for me. This is what I want.” She quickly hangs up the phone and reaches her hand around my body, grabbing my ass in her hand and pushing for me to give her more.
“You're such a good girl,” I give her my praise because I know she likes it. She’s made me proud today and as I give her more of what she wants, I glide my fingers over her outstretched neck. “Come for me, right now,” I instruct, pushing every inch I have inside her and holding still. Her nails dig into my ass, as her wet skin slips against me. “Come on, I want you spilling that tight cunt all over my cock.” I remain still, savoring the way her pussy throbs around me. She looks back at me with such hope and expectation that it starts to fucking hurt. I’m not the kind of man she should be looking at, like this. I took her without any consideration for how she would feel. I don’t know what makes her so accepting of me, but it scares me, and men like me don’t have the luxury of fear. I turn my soft touch firm, clutching at her throat, and drilling my eyes into hers “I told you to fucking come!” I hiss through my teeth, and when her hips start to buck wildly against my static body and she screams out my name, I immediately regret telling her it. It sounds exactly as I imagined it would like it belongs on her fucking lips. Her body trembles and the way she clamps around me triggers my own release. I keep my cock rooted deep, letting my cum flood inside her, and I have to close my eyes and try to ignore that obsession I’m developing toward her. When I open them back up and see her looking up at me, her pert, little tits rising and falling as she catches her breath back, it hits me how dangerous that obsession is going to be.
Amara Villafuerte POV
I’ve counted it as twenty-one days since I was kidnapped and, every day, I’ve been taken up to the room where he fucks me like a whore, then returns me to the basement like a prisoner. My feelings for him grow stronger, and yet he remains cold. I have a hunch that things are about to get a lot worse today when Tommy leads me into the room where I know he’ll be waiting for me.
“Afternoon.” Manfred places down his phone and dismisses Tommy with a flick of his fingers. “I have something to tell you.”
I force the words out of my mouth, but he’s already stepped up behind me, his hand wrapping around the back of my neck and forcing me to bend over the dressing table. Slowly, as the days have progressed, more furniture has been added to this room. There's a mirror in front of us now and I close my eyes to avoid looking in it as his hand slides into the front of my panties. When I grab at his wrist to try and stop him, he forces me away with a confused look on his face.
“Since when did you start denying me?” He drags me back up by my throat so I’m taut with his body.
“I…I.” The fingers from his other hand slip between my folds and I watch the anger spread on his face, through our reflection, as he pulls them back out and examines the red streaks of blood on them. “I was trying to tell you…but...” Why the fuck do I feel ashamed, and worst of all, disappointed? It only confirms how crazy being in this situation is making me.
Manfred doesn’t hide his disappointment either and shocks me when his grip on my neck tightens and his blood-coated fingers swipe over my cheek, smearing it onto my skin. “I guess we’ll just have to try harder,” he hisses at me spitefully, before backing away and leaving me alone.
I grip the edge of the dresser in my hands, staring at my reflection, as suddenly reality hits me. Everything I feel for Manfred is one-sided. He has become my comfort, I crave him like a drug and I have no control over it. Perhaps it’s my coping mechanism to get me through the situation I’m in. When Tommy comes back into the room and tells me to follow him I wipe the tears from my eyes, and the blood from my face, before pushing myself off the dresser and going with him. Back to the confines of the basement, where I’m nothing more than a prisoner.
XXX
It’s been five days and I’ve stopped bleeding. I haven’t seen Manfred since he left me in the bedroom that morning, and I hate him for ignoring me all this time. I hate myself even more for actually missing him. He’s kept me supplied with the products I’ve needed and allowed me into the room to bathe once a day, but there has been no sign of him and it’s felt like a punishment. I realize now, why. Manfred’s only intention is to make me pregnant with his child. He can’t do that while I’m bleeding and so, for the past few days, I’ve been insignificant to him. The door to the basement opens, and Tommy looks at me expectantly, so I get up on my feet with determination and follow him. When I enter the room and see Manfred with his ass resting on the dresser and his legs crossed casually, I run at him and pull my hand back so I can slap the smug look off his face. He catches my wrist before I can make the connection and the smirk I saw when I first walked in here remains on his face. “Missed me?” he questions, infuriating me even more.
I have no words for him, I want to cry but I won’t, something tells me he’d fucking like it. “Tommy tells me you have stopped bleeding.” He releases me and heads towards the bed, rolling up the sleeves of his shirt before he pats the mattress for me to sit. For the past two mornings, Tommy has asked me if my bleeding had stopped and it seems the word I sent him back with, earlier, has pleased his boss.
“I have,” I confirm.
“Then we must get back to work straight away.”
He stands, waiting for me to go to him but I remain still, refusing to be the dog that heels after the way he’s made me feel.
“You’re mad at me.” He shakes his head and rolls his eyes like it's an inconvenience. Coming toward me, he slides his hand through my hair and it feels too nice to stop him. “Sweet, little Amara, as pretty as you look when you are angry, your emotions are pointless. They aren’t going to change what will happen here, today. I’m still going to fuck you.”
“And what if I don’t want to be fucked today?” I swipe back at him. The smile he responds with gives me a real urge to scratch it off his lips. “And to think, I was going to do something nice for you.”
He shakes his head and shrugs, before crouching his body and lifting me up onto his shoulder. I protest as he carries me over to the bed and throws me onto the mattress. Giving me no time to try and break free, he grabs both wrists in one of his huge hands and pins them above my head. I watch, restrained, as he unbuckles his belt with his free hand and I struggle against his firm hold when he tears open his slacks and takes out his cock. “What are you going to do, rape me?” I snarl at him.
“You just tell me when to stop, Princess.”
He looks down at me calmly and waits for my reaction as the thick tip of his cock rubs against the lace of my panties. My arms stop moving and, despite my anger, my hips automatically fidget against him. It’s cruel, and devious, to use my emotions against me but I make myself a victim to it when I say nothing.
“That's what I thought.”
His finger hooks into the lace, dragging it to one side so we’re flesh to flesh, and my stomach flips. “In fact, I’m pretty sure that right now, I could have you beg me for it,” he whispers, making me even wetter as his cock slowly slips between my folds, stroking that sweet spot and making me moan with pleasure and frustration at the same time. “Do you wish to have me inside you, Amara?” he asks, tilting his head and enjoying every second of my suffering. I say nothing, just stare right back at him as I move my hips against him to get the friction I need. “Answer the question, Amara.” He looks down and spits at the tip of his cock while he continues to tease me with it.
“Yes,” I admit when the emptiness inside me becomes intolerable.
“Then ask me nicely.”
His voice is soothing, and as much as I want to tear chunks out of him, my pussy is running my conscience right now. I take another glance down, seeing him huge and hard, pressed against me, and craving to feel that sting of him pushing inside me. I know that letting him have what he wants will come with a price, but the desire in me is willing to pay it.
“Put it inside me, please.” I manage, watching the smirk grow wider on his lips, as he drops to his knees and gives me his tongue instead. He takes his time, making agonizingly, slow licks as I buck against his face, proving that my need has overtaken any pride I stormed in here with.
“Desperation tastes so good on you.” Manfred lifts his eyes up to me and watches me with great satisfaction as I cum all over his tongue. Before I have a chance to come down from the high, without any warning, he gets back on his feet and slams himself into me. I scream out in shock and Manfred grabs both my tits in his hands, through my bra, crushing them hard in his fist. “It looks so fucking good on you too,” he tells me, fucking me hard and unforgivingly. “Ask. Ask me to cum in this pretty, little pussy, Amara.”
He stares into my eyes and looks a little desperate himself. “Tell me you want it.” I can deny him the words, but I can’t deny the thoughts in my head. Sick and twisted as all this is, Manfred wanting to put his child inside me makes me feel special in a way I’ve never felt before.
“I want it,” I tell him, meaning every word, despite wishing I didn’t, and when his body stills, he groans loudly as he gives me what I want and empties inside me. His hands clutch my thighs tight around his hips as his seed fills my pussy, and as I look at the man, who I’m pretty sure is going to destroy me, I wonder what he would have to do to make me hate him.
XXX
Manfred Valderrama POV“It’s been a while since you checked in with your father, you should call him,” I tell her, placing a cushion under her hips to ensure every drop of my cum stays inside her. Dr Fererro tells me that it’s very rare for a woman to get pregnant within the first month of trying, but that doesn’t stop me from being disappointed that we were unsuccessful. I will do all I can to ensure that, this month, we do not fail. “I think that would be a little awkward, right now.” Amara looks down at her body and giggles, proving that she’s forgiven me for being absent these past few days. What she won’t know, is that I suffered just as much as she did. I had to gain back some control and test myself. I needed some space away from her and all the feelings she put inside me. Although, all it proved is that I’m every bit as weak as I thought I was. The amount of times I almost gave in and went to that basement, just so I could fuck her out of pure need, is embarrassing. “I do rec
Amara Villafuerte POV Manfred wasn’t wrong when he said we would be trying harder. I’ve been sleeping in this room for four days now and every day he has come to me more than once. Tonight is his third time visiting me today, and as he pulls out of me and positions another cushion under my hips, he lays down beside me and catches his breath. “Have you thought about what’s going to happen when this baby gets here?” I ask, talking as if one already exists. I spend a lot of time by myself these days and it’s given me the opportunity to think about all this. My father is not a forgiving man. If he finds out where I am, he will not allow Manfred to keep me, or my child. Manfred doesn’t answer my question, he just sighs as he stares at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. I like that he doesn’t rush off after fucking me, anymore. The time we spend like this may be short but I enjoy it, even if it is always silent. “My father will eventually find out where I am, and when he does he w
Manfred Valderrama POV I left her sleeping, with her hair feathered out over the pillow like an angel, and her pussy full of my cum. I’ve never fallen asleep beside a woman before, let alone with my cock still inside one. I liked how it felt, and I’ve come to the realization that with her, I’ve been allowing myself far too many pleasures. Tonight, I need to remind myself of who I am. And I know just how to do it, effectively. My leather-gloved hand grips tight around the steering wheel as I stare across the street into Dennis Gregorio’s mansion. The knots twist my stomach when I think about him and her, together. Amara is young, she has a whole life ahead of her and her father can’t possibly love her if he was thinking of marrying her off to this rotting corpse of a man. Power would have been his only motive. Dennis Gregorio plans to run for senator next year, and having a man like him in your pocket would be beneficial to Steven Villafuerte. It’s taken me three hours to drive here,
Amara Villafuerte POV I wake up, shocked to find Manfred beside me. His arms are wrapped tightly around my body, clutching to me as if he’s worried I’ll run away. The scary thing about all this is the fact I know I won’t. I slowly untangle myself and get out of bed so I can use the toilet and when I open the curtains I notice a black bag on the floor behind them. Taking a peek inside I see what looks like a balled-up suit, and a pair of black leather gloves. I have no idea why they are here but I leave them where I found them so I can head to the bathroom. I brush my teeth before I go back to him, and when I step through the door his eyes are open and staring at me like I’m in trouble. “What did I do?” I shrug my shoulders. “Nothing. I’m allowed to look at you, aren’t I?” He raises his eyebrows as I slowly move towards him and climb back onto the bed. “I don’t know, you make the rules. Are you?” I tease, straddling his body with mine. When he reaches his hand up to frame my cheek
Manfred Valderrama POVI text Daniel and tell him I’m taking the day off. I can’t remember the last time I did it, but after Amara made her confession to me this morning, I want to stay close to her. We fall back to sleep for a few hours, then we wake up and go downstairs for a mid-morning breakfast, hand in hand, like a real couple. My best friend has a very disturbed look on his face when he sees us. “Manfred, I must talk with you.” He follows us into the dining room and watches as I pull out Amara’s chair for her. The way his eyes flick over her barely-covered body makes me decide that from now on she needs to start wearing much more than what I provide her with when she is downstairs. I don’t want the others looking at what's mine. “Manfred.” He speaks up again like I didn’t hear him the first time. “Then talk.” I take Amara’s plate and start to load it with the things I want her to eat. Then smile at her as I place it back in front of her. “Well, come on, what is so important
Amara Villafuerte PO “Amara, it’s time to come home. I’m getting worried. Dennis is dead. He was murdered.” My father scolds me, like a child, down the phone while Manfred lies beside me, drawing circles around my tummy button and listening intently. “I saw it on the news,” I admit. Dennis’ murder has been headline news, and my biggest concern being that Manfred gets found out, has made me realize how twisted I’ve become. “Enough is enough now, Amara! You can’t expect me to be okay with you disappearing. It's been almost two months. I demand you tell me where you are!” He sounds beyond angry and yet, I don’t fear him anymore. I draw strength from Manfred and the way he looks so proud of me. “I’m not expecting you to be okay with it. But I also won’t be obeying your commands, anymore. I’m not a little girl, and I’m not a bargaining tool. I’m pleased Dennis is dead.” “Amara!” Father sounds as angry, as he is horrified. “I need to go, I called because I didn’t want you worrying
Amara Villafuerte POV It’s late morning when I wake up, and as the sun creeps through the window and warms my face, I smile to myself. I can’t pinpoint when everything changed, but what I do know is that nothing can ever go back to being normal. Is it wrong that I don’t miss my father? That the only person I want to be around is Manfred? Even if it is, I don’t think I care. I like the idea of the life he has planned for us. The door knocks and when I call whoever it is in, Daniel smiles at me politely, as he places a tray of food on the bed. “So, you’re my servant, as well as my protector, now?” I sit up, making sure I’m covered by the blanket as I examine what's been sent up for me. “Manfred figured you might want to stay in bed today, he’s had to leave town. He will be back tomorrow evening.” “He never told me.” I frown when I realize how much that hurts. “You will learn that Manfred can be spontaneous.” He widens his eyes and prepares to leave. “Wait.” I stop him. “What else c
Manfred Valderrama POV “Do you have work to do, today?” she asks, getting up from her seat at the breakfast table and sitting on the table in front of me. I can tell she’s still mad at me for leaving without saying goodbye, but some things require urgency, and what I had to do couldn’t be avoided. “There is always work to do.” I smile, taking her hand and licking the syrup from her fingers. “Did you have something in mind?” “A walk around the gardens, maybe a drive into the local town. I don’t even know where that is.” Amara plays with the cuff of my shirt and tries being all cutesy, maybe her little act might work if I hadn’t woken up with her lips wrapped around my cock. I swear the girl is developing some kind of syndrome, you hear about people falling in love with their captors as a coping mechanism. I don’t want to be Amara's coping mechanism. I’ve learned over the past few weeks that I want to be the start, and end, of her world. “It is not safe for us to go into town, not
Cassandra Valderrama Gallardo POVI never wanted a big wedding. Growing up, I wasn’t the type of girl who dreamed about flowing white dresses, enough flowers to open a florist shop, or exorbitantly expensive multi-tier cakes. I’m perfectly content with what I have—my family in attendance and my man standing proudly at the altar.We’re in a small chapel, tucked away in one of the quieter, more peaceful corners of the city. I’m dressed in the same wedding dress Mom wore when she married Dad, the very same veil on my head. There are no words to describe how honored I am to wear it. I hope one day, I get to pass it on to my own daughter to wear at her wedding, and perhaps even my granddaughter after her. Little things like these, full of sentiment and love, are how traditions are born.Dad and I stand just in front of the main entrance to the chapel. Everyone’s taken their seats, and the music is beginning to swell. I know he had his reservations when I first agreed to marry Thorton, but
Thorton Gallardo POVOne Month LaterSeparately, the Valderrama and Gallardo Mafias are capable of incredible things. They both rule with iron fists and awe-inspiring efficiency. Where the Valderrama commands the respect of their peers, my brothers and I are tenaciously ambitious. Combined—we’re a force to be reckoned with.We’re only a month into our merger, but all of Italy works like a well-oiled machine. With the Valderramas’ connections and my transportation network, we’re virtually unstoppable. I don’t think the criminal underworld has ever seen a more impressive organization. With Leo running the numbers, Samuel enforcing our laws, Roman negotiating our deals, and Damien keeping his ear to the ground for any whispers of dissent, we have the entire city under our thumbs. But right now, the last thing I want to think about is work. Zandra, unfortunately, has other plans.“Remind me to ask Samuel to pay the Southern Administrative District a visit. A couple of businesses haven’t
Zandra Valderrama POVI only have so much time. Before long, my baby bump will begin to show, and then the jig is up. I need to figure out how to break the news to Dad without sending him into full-on cardiac arrest. My decision is final, though, no matter what he or the rest of my family has to say. I’m keeping this baby, and I’m going to protect him or her with every fiber of my being.Do I think Dad might disown me when he learns the truth? Probably not. He’s always been a level-headed guy. I doubt he’d do anything so drastic… But that doesn’t stop me from coming up with a Plan B, C, and D—just in case.I’m just about to pull out my phone to look up some rudimentary information on what mothers should expect when I hear a strange sound coming from outside. The screech of car tires, angry shouting. My heart automatically leaps into my throat and lodges there. Oh, God. Are we under attack? All this excitement and paranoia can’t possibly be good for the baby.My little brother comes ho
Thorton Gallardo POVHalf of Italy belongs to the Gallardo Mafia.I should be over the moon.I’m anything but.“We’re seeing staggering profits,” Leo tells me from the other side of my desk. One of his detailed spreadsheets is pulled up on his tablet. “We’ve had next to no resistance from the remaining Valderrama in the area. They’ve all but fled to the north of the city. The raid left them scrambled, but I don’t think now is the time to keep pushing. There’s still a heavy police presence in the area.”“Sure,” I mumble. I’m only half listening, partially because I know Leo’s got everything under control, and partially because I can’t bring myself to care. It’s almost cruel how we have everything we want, yet I have nothing I need.“The taxi business practically runs itself at this point,” Leo goes on. “Since Detective Rossi, uh, passed, there’s been no reason for the police to keep sniffing around. He was the only one who could link us to our criminal interests, and it doesn’t look l
Zandra Valderrama POVI’m bedridden for what feels like an eternity.Aunt Natalya keeps telling me it’s frankly a miracle I survived. Very few can take a bullet through the chest and live to tell the tale. It’s nothing short of divine intervention. But even if I did have the energy to get out of bed, I wouldn’t. A heavy fog clouds my mind, and it has nothing to do with the pain meds I’m on.I can’t stop thinking about Thorton. I can barely even think of his name without pins and needles stinging my eyes. No matter what I do, no matter how much time has passed, I can’t bring myself to accept he’s dead. The lives we lead are dangerous ones. Death and injury is an accepted workplace hazard. I just didn’t think it would actually happen.“Come on, Zandy,” Alessandra whispers at my bedside. There’s a bowl of chicken noodle soup on her lap. It’s all I’ve been able to stomach lately. Everything else makes me feel barfy.“You should eat something,” Mom adds softly. She’s seated on the other si
Thorton Gallardo POVIf obsession is a disease, then I’m sick and suffering.My waking thoughts bounce back and forth between Zandra and Rossi, trapping me in a never-ending cycle of cause and effect. I can’t stop thinking about her, about how cold and small she was in my arms as the lights faded from her eyes. My chest tightens at the realization that I’ll never get to kiss her again or speak to her again. Rossi has to pay—he has to.Tracking the man down this time is a whole lot easier. He’s paraded around like a damn war hero, showing up for interviews and public award ceremonies. I lie in wait, watching from the back of the crowd, dressed in an unassuming pair of jeans, a black sweatshirt, and a baseball cap. The hood’s drawn over to obscure my face. A whole line of TV cameras is here, along with nosy reporters and a handful of uniformed cops. I can’t just approach him. I may want vengeance, but I’m not suicidal. This place is too public, too many witnesses. I need to bide my time
Thorton Gallardo POVPulling up to the Valderrama’s private residence is practically begging for immediate execution, but I have no other options. I need to see Zandra, need to know she’s okay—even if it kills me.The place is swarming with armed guards, all of them training their weapons on us as the car screeches to a halt in front of the house. The moment I jump out, at least four of them barrel toward me. I came fully prepared for the beating of my life, but what happens next is so much worse.“Stand down!” Manfred Valderrama shouts at his men. They do so, snapping to attention as he trudges down the front path, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles are white. I see so much of Zandra in him.And that’s why I don’t react when he winds back and punches me in the jaw. I stumble to the ground, my ear ringing and my face throbbing. I deserved it. I deserve all of it. I will accept it.I see no point in fighting back. Even if I wanted to, Manfred Valderrama is almost three times my ag
Zandra Valderrama POVI awake with a start.There’s a blinding, throbbing pain in my chest, just below my left shoulder. I can’t make sense of my surroundings. Everything’s too loud, too bright. Confusion makes the room spin and fear makes my blood run cold. What just happened? How did I get here?“Easy, Zandy,” Aunt Natalya says as she hooks me up to a blood bag. O-positive, according to the sticker slapped on the front. “It was a high caliber round, so the bullet went right through you. You lost a lot of blood, but you’re lucky it missed all your important organs. Four inches lower and it would have pierced your heart.”Aunt Natalya is speaking perfectly clearly, but I don’t understand a word coming out of her mouth. Is it because of the shock? The pain? Probably both.I groan. “What happened?”“Relax, sweetheart,” Dad says. He’s at my bedside, his brows steepled together in grave concern.My uncles are here. So are Mom Amara, Alessandra, and Jovito. It’s a miracle my room is big en
Thorton Gallardo POVI don’t need to be an expert in reading body language to know tensions are running high. This is a public meeting—as is the tradition—hosted in a restaurant that’s been completely booked out.The lighting is dim. Armed men are everywhere. They don’t just belong to the Valderrama, but to the other families I’ve managed to piss off, as well. Why couldn’t we have done this in the back of some dingy room? Because this is a show of good faith, of honor, an unspoken code of conduct. There is nowhere to hide here, no secrets to be kept…which is exactly how I know everyone in this room hates my guts and they’re itching to reach for their guns and show it.Zandra—gorgeous, beautiful, fierce Zandra—sits at the head of the table. Her father and her uncles stand behind her like silent stone sentries. Around the table, the other Mafia heads sit. Some faces are familiar. Others are not. They all have one thing in common, though, and it’s the way they all stare daggers at me and