I end the call and know I've convinced him I've left. I had to, though; they were all watching and listening."Poor little Lorenzo. He really loves you." Rocco laughs. "Plane leaves in an hour. Danni, you can leave, Jacob; escort her out of the country."I sit shocked; if I'm in the country, there's a chance I can get back to Lorenzo. Out of it, I'm screwed?"I don't know anyone?" How can he send me to another country with no one I know there?"That's the whole idea. You won't have anyone there to run to this time." Jacob laughs."Right, you need to get in touch with Felicity. Make this meet-up happen now with the boys." Rocco turns from Jacob back to me. "If you do anything, Alice, we will have your son and a nice firm aim on Lorenzo to take a shot.""Something tells me she thinks we're bluffing, so I will get a picture sent of her son when they leave to meet. Behave, Alice; it would be a shame for Lorenzo to lose his son as well." I simply nod. I don't want Luciano or Lorenzo at ris
After dealing with Danni and discovering that Rocco is back, I feel we're closer to finding her. He didn't tell us much, just that Alice was to be hidden and forced to live away from me.They had planned to take Felicity, but that failed. In some ways, I'm glad it is Alice and not Felicity. I know that Alice will fight. I know she can defend herself. Felicity can't."We are trailing some of his old men, and I will bring them in and use them to send messages to Rocco."He will bring them in, rough them up and send messages, but I have my own plan. He won't like it, but he doesn't have a choice. I don't say it, though. I stay quiet and let him talk about the plan he's made.I will help with it, but I'm going my own way. Rocco will come out of hiding. He thinks Caiu is still alive, and I plan to use that against him."We're trying to track down both Jacobs; if Rocco is moving constantly, finding him won't be easy.""What about Lucia?" Dario looks at him now."She is convinced that if she
I watch Jacob leave. It's been a month, a month of him being with me constantly. Now, though, he's left. He's insistent that someone will be watching me.Something tells me he will be for a bit. So I will behave for now. I watch the hours pass, then get ready and leave. Walking into the restaurant, I sit down."Rachel, no husband today?" Ella looks at me."Business trip, he's left." Hopefully, never to fucking return."Oh, that's a shame. Well, what can I get you?" She stands and takes my order before walking away. I sit alone and eat. It feels weird. It means my mind is now constantly on, and there is no one to distract it. Sighing, I look at the empty plate."Cheer up." Ella smiles and takes the plate. I fight back the tears and smile at her."Thank you, Ella; say hello to Harold, won't you." She nods and walks away. Leaving the restaurant I walk around the local area. Just trying to force the feelings to disappear, but they don't. I stop outside the bar and walk in. Ordering a drin
I look at him, the blood dripping from his torn chest. He deserved it. He thought mocking Alice would be funny.It's not funny now, is it Nathan? Now that you're slowly bleeding out."Where is she, Nathan?" I look at him, waiting."Fuck you, Lorenzo." I watch him spit at me. Moving, I slice across his chest, hearing him screaming."I can keep going, and I'm happy to make our meeting three days long." I move the knife again, and he screams."I won't fucking say!"Leaning into his face, I smile. "Then try to get comfortable, Nathan; you're staying here for a long time." I push the knife through his arm, watching him thrash and scream. "Please, scream louder. No one can hear you out here." I move back and sit down."She will be used." I freeze hearing his words. "Jacob has been using her soo fucking much. Actually, from what I hear, she begs him for it."I push it down. I won't snap and kill him quicker."He's already dead, Nathan. The only ones left are Rocco and fools like yourself." I
I wake tied to a chair, and my head stays down as I consider this. I'm happy to stay here if he gives Alice up. I'd be happy to die here if Alice could come home to our son."I know you're awake, Kiddo." I raise my head and look at him. "You have made a mess."I shrug. "I'm keeping myself entertained, thanks. You're looking good for a dead guy." I laugh at him. I wasn't there when Marco unleashed hell on him.Yet I can see Marco didn't go easy on him, but he still survived. How the fuck did he manage that?"You killed too many of my men, Lorenzo. Did you think I would just ignore that?" He stands and looks at me."You weren't meant to ignore it; you weren't meant to stay hidden and let me kill them all, Rocco.""I didn't let you kill them, Lorenzo. They were merely the smaller fish, nothing big. I can do with losing a few of them, and you helped me." He laughs and looks at his phone."Fuck she is hot, right?" My eyes snap up. "Alice, have you seen her in swimwear? I have." He grins at
"When will Caiu be here?" I hear Rocco and feel the barrel of the gun release from my head. Opening my eyes, I see Marco holding it against Rocco."What are you doing? We had a deal. Caiu won't agree to this; the rules state it's been years.""The rules state I can do as I fucking want." Marco pushes the gun against him harder. "You think I would kill my family for you? Rocco, you took the bait. I had to get to you and look where I am." Marco reaches into Rocco’s holster and takes his gun."Guys!" Rocco looks at his men, but they don't move. "What the fuck, he's going to shoot me!" His words are screamed."Oh, you see, I've been working on your men. Many know the truth but just kept it quiet from you." He turns to the men. "Aim at him." I watch him step back as they raise their guns to Rocco."I don't understand." Rocco looks around, confused."Maybe when you return from the dead, Rocco, check your sources." Marco releases me from the chair. "Caiu is dead, and before you ask about his
I no longer know the time. I've drank too much, but those guys have me on edge. They keep looking at me. I've stopped looking, but I still feel their eyes on me.I'm handed another drink and glance up, confused; I didn't order one. One of the men from the table nods towards me. Shit. I don't want their drinks, and I don't want any of Rocco's men to get friendly with me."Little kitten." I freeze, my body running cold. It's not real. I know his voice, and this isn't real."Little kitten." I turn and see him standing by the door. Jumping up, I go to run to him and stop. My eyes go back to the table of men.I can't, I can't go near him. Panic floods me, and I step back as he moves forward. "Don't you run, little kitten." I have to; people are watching, and he will put Luciano in danger.Stepping back more, he moves towards me. "Alice, it's safe." I turn and run. "Stop her!"I watch the men rise and block my path. "I didn't." I wasn't."Boss." I look confused as one of the guys nods, and
I watch her sleep, my body craving to join her in the dream world. Exhaustion tries to drag me down, but I ignore it. We had plans, which I've thrown away. Right now, we should be getting home. Instead, I got lost in her. I got lost in feeling her and letting my body consume her.She's exhausted, which is proven by the fact she fell asleep instantly the moment I stopped fucking her.Sitting up, I winch. My back, chest and arms sting from where her nails cut me. I'm fucking grateful for it, though; the pain made this more real.Kissing her, I throw my trousers and T-shirt on. Walking out, I go into the living area, the talking stops, and they look at me."About time; we were meant to leave at nine; it's nearly two." Marco looks at me."Leave him alone, he was busy." Dario grins. "I'm guessing she's okay?""After I made her realise they are dead, yeah. She was convinced coming near me meant they would take Luciano." I can't blame her."He was never at risk. Things were secured, and no o
I'm so fucking happy. This is the best Christmas ever. She's pregnant, Alex is officially ours, and she's marrying me! Tonight! I left her for a bit. Her dad is here, so they are talking everything out. I wanted to be there but knew she needed space to do it herself. I look across the chairs and other things. She wanted to come outside, but we banned her. She can't see this, not until later. "It's looking good." Lorenzo smiles at me. "Have you considered this, Dario?" Marco looks at me. "She said yes! She said she would marry me." She said yes. "I know, but I mean the whole surprise wedding; she said yes, but that doesn't mean now." "Yes, it does!" She wouldn't say yes if she weren't ready now. She's ready. She will say yes. She will love this. "Okay, calm down, you're too high." Marco chuckles, but I can't. I feel amazing right now. "How is it going with her dad?" Matteo looks at me. "No idea. I gave her space." I'm giving her space. "Matteo, he's staying at your house toni
I walked out of the room feeling sickened. Not so much that he had slept with my mother, more he slept with me purely because I looked like her. Like in his mind, I was her. I need to check on Alex. Walking into his room he's sat up on the bed looking at the book. "Read it?" He holds out the book, and I laugh. "Move over." I climb onto the bed, and he cuddles into me as I read it to him. Today is Christmas. I didn't realise, but Lucia had the baby on Christmas day! It's nearly three. I read to him, watching as he fell asleep. Slowly, my eyes slip closed. I wake feeling someone wrap their arms around me. Glancing behind me, I see Dario. I open my mouth to talk, and he shakes his head. "No. Leave it, little rabbit. Let's just sleep for a couple of hours." He holds onto me, and I fall asleep, with him and Alex cuddling me. I need to get answers later. I wake up in bed alone. Neither Alex nor Dario are here. Climbing from the bed, I go to our room and begin to get ready. "Little ra
So far, this guy hasn't been forthcoming. It's Christmas, and we're wasting time on him. Sure, we could just forget him and go to bed for as few hours as possible before getting up, but he's a risk. Alice came to get the baby, and Lucia is currently resting. So this needs sorting now. He's not someone who can be trusted alone, even with soldiers. "I never would have hurt her." I look up, confused. "Evaline, my plan was never to touch her or harm her. Weirdly, she is just like her mother. She's amazing." "How did you meet her mum?" I want to get her answers. "I had just taken down a target and was ready to leave when I saw her. I was twenty-eight, and she was thirty-nine. She was so different. She was so amazing I just went over and said hi, which is how it began. At that point, Evaline was born." "Did you see Evaline?" "No!" His head shakes. "I never did; we had been sleeping together for years. She wouldn't let me see Evaline. She spoke of her. He found out about the affair and
I look at Marco. He's heard nothing. "It's Christmas. Maybe just leave it until after today?" Lorenzo looks at me. "I can't do much, Lorenzo." I can't do anything without information that we don't have. "This is your first official Christmas with Evaline, don't fuck it up." Our dad looks at me, and I know he's right. The gunshot has us all jump up and rush out. I watch as a window smashes and smoke begins to flood the hall. "Get the women and kids!" Marco screams, rushing upstairs; I grab Luciano, Lorenzo grabs Alice, and I see soldiers follow Marco up to Lucia and Evaline. Carrying Luciano down, I sit him in the safe room. Rushing up, I see someone carrying Alex. "Put it on." I see something throw a mask at me. Placing it on, I rush up and see Evaline fighting to get to Alex's room. "Alex is downstairs, little rabbit, go." I watch as she disappears. Rushing through, I get to our room and see him. Throwing myself at him, someone grabs me and stops, and I watch them grab him. "D
I wake hearing a bang, my eyes adjusting to the darkness. I reach out to Dario, but he isn't there. The sound of gunshots has my body jump up and out of bed. Rushing, I get the gown and wrap it around my body as the windows in the room smash, and smoke begins to fill the room. I rush for the door and hear something. Turning, I look behind me and see someone jump through the window. Running out the door, I get grabbed. Screaming, I go to hit him. "Evaline, go with him!" Marco? I feel them pull me, but I try to get to Alex. I need to get Alex. Screaming, I fight against him. "Alex is downstairs, little rabbit, go." I don't get a chance to respond. I'm just pulled further away. As we reach downstairs, I'm thrown into a room and the door locks. "Evaline, thank god you're okay!" Lucia rushes and hugs me. I look around, Alice, Lucia, Alex, and Luciano are in here, and I believe it's James. I'm not sure which soldier it is. "What is happening?" I look around us. This room has no windo
Dario's arms stay around me as we dance. He started out fine, but in the past week, he's been slowly drowning and getting lost in his mind. I know he's constantly overthinking what is happening. Everything I try fails. Sex works while we're having sex, and then he's back in his head. It's taking so much effort to keep him here and with us. The last thing we need is for something to happen and for him to slip away in his mind and not wait for answers. So, I need to keep his mind off Mad Hatter or Tim, as they haven't been able to find anything. Marco even tried to send a message out for my dad in the hope he would reply and give us something, but it's been silent. I lean up and kiss his lips. "We haven't spoken about how many kids you want." I smile, and he looks at me so damn confused. "Babies, Dario, how many do you want?" "I just want you." My eyes roll. "You have me. We have Alex. I want to know about us making babies. How many?" He seems to be considering it. "I would be hap
It's too quiet, and I don't like quiet, not in this way. Quiet in my head, fine, but this feels wrong. He's gone quiet. He's stopped sending messages out. He's ignoring us. He's planning, he's planning something, what is he planning? I pace the room. Today is Matteo's engagement party. Tomorrow is Christmas. It's too fucking quiet. Quietly, quietly, not a sound. I'm listening and listening. "Dario!" I turn, and Marco is staring at me. "You're singing." He holds out his hands. "We were waiting for you!" "I..." Something is wrong. Quietly, quietly, not a sound. I'm listening and listening. "Dario!" I glance at him. "Get out of your head, focus." I can't focus. It's too quiet. "Okay, tell me what is in your head. You keep singing quietly, quietly, so speak." "It's too quiet." It's too quiet. "Right, and I agree it is. It's unusual. He's gone quiet; he's not responding, but stay out of your head. It's been half an hour. How long have you been standing here pacing and singing in yo
I sit with Dario. His brothers and his dad are facing me. "You slept with him, just say." Marco laughs. "I did, but that isn't it. That time, I never returned; about a year into it, Dale had bought a holiday home. He sent me to it alone and told me not to leave as it wasn't safe. I stayed there for maybe six months. A few weeks after I got there, the guy showed up. He basically moved in with me." I see Carlos' mouth drop open. "He never stayed in one place!" "He stayed with me. Dale would send maybe one message a week saying I wasn't safe and to stay hidden. If I tried messaging him, it wouldn't go through. I told him I couldn't keep calling him Mad Hatter, so he said to call him Tim for now. That wasn't his name, I don't think. He confided in me, told me about his childhood and things, and I know I should have said, but I saw him as a friend." Which was stupid. "And now you don't? Why?" Marco looks at me, waiting. "Because now I realise he was trying to get information from me.
Dario pushes me to sit in a seat and faces me. He's looking at me like I'm about to blow everything up. I feel like I am. I didn't tell him everything, not because I didn't want him to know, but because I had no idea how or if he would handle this. Then, I just figured out things while he was getting Alex in bed. "Little rabbit, please." He looks at me, almost begging. "I didn't tell you everything. I stayed at a small holiday home without Dale for about six months. I have no idea where he went. Tim, or Mad Hatter as we know him, stayed with me." "You knew his fucking name!" "No! I told him I felt awkward calling him Mad Hatter, so he said to call him Tim, which could be his name for now. His name isn't Tim. It's just a name he said to call him, so I didn't have to call him Mad Hatter." "You don't know for sure, little rabbit, why the fuck did you live with him for six months!" "Dale was gone. I don't know where or why. He was just gone. Tim isn't a bad guy, or I thought. Dale h