PIETRO'S POV . My world was crashing right before me. I was completely clueless as to what to do. For a reason best known to them, the kidnappers left Aria's phone on, even though they knew I'd be tracking her. It could be amateurism, sheer stupidity, or they really wanted me to know where they were headed. 'A trap.' "Could you tell me what she said again?" A voice asked me, but it sounded so distant that I wasn't sure if he was referring to me until a hand tapped me again. I've slipped away into my thoughts for the second time since our impromptu meeting. "Fuck!" I cussed. "A scorpion tattoo," I started, "I've run the name of the officer she provided through the local and state police; it's a fluke." "You don't have a suspect?" "Of course I do." I hummed. "But he isn't the one that grabbed her. If he was, she would have said his name." "What are we looking at, Eppolito?" Maxine Genovese asked, leaning on his chair. A cocky smile on his face. A smile I wanted so badl
Unlike the first time, I was spotted even before I stepped foot into the massive mansion of Alaric Baxter. His guards welcomed me from across the fence with a gun pointed at my head. Even though I thought I wouldn't face such an obstacle, I was impressed to know that they were quite ready for me. I didn't expect to be caught at this time of the night. Raising my arms in surrender, I got thoroughly searched and this time, not even one weapon was left on me. I followed them into the stinking mansion as the stench of stale sweat, cigarettes, and whatever the hell the rest were, filled the hallway. We took the short stairs to the large living room where Alaric and Steve sat sprawled on a couch and having the time of their life. One of the guards pushed me forward to stand in front of the two men. They signaled for the girls around them to leave. Soon, it was just us and a couple of guards. Don Hugo stepped out from behind a door in the west wing, he was followed by Don Galo. I s
ARIA'S POV . "Pietro!" The scream erupted from deep inside my chest while I cupped Pietro's beautiful, bloody face and asked him to come back to me, but his eyes remained shut, and his body was limp and unresponsive. Looking up at Edoardo, I noticed he was speaking into his phone while keeping a hand pressed firmly against Pietro's gunshot site. His eyes darted to mine before he said, "fuckin hurry up, please. It doesn’t look good." I didn't need a seer to tell me that Edoardo wasn't used to begging. It was evident, all over him. He hung up and put both hands on the wound site that never stopped bleeding. "He'll be fine, Aria. We'll take him to a specialist. He'll be fine." Edoardo kept reassuring me. I looked around us and then asked, the question bothering me, "How do we get him out of here?" "Help is almost here." He replied, making me feel a little bit better. If help manages to get here in time, then maybe he could survive. Maybe my Pietro would be alive. The t
Edoardo squeezed his brows as he drove us back out the gate and sighed. He spared a worried glance at me and said, "he's lost a lot of blood, Aria. The bullets did a lot of damage. They said we should prepare for the worst." I bit my bottom lip, holding in the sob that was dying to come out. "Pietro is a fighter, Aria. He's going to come out of surgery well and hearty. He has you, he'll never give up when he has you to come back to. You mean the world to him." "Yeah, he's a giant stubborn ass." I managed to say in a shaky voice. "Mm-hmm," Edoardo hummed. I cuddled my body closer to myself and pressed my nose against the T-shirt that still smelled like Pietro while Edoardo drove us away from the city. In between the ride, he spoke with Giancarlo on the phone and told him to take charge of things in his absence and not to let words about Pietro's health and whereabouts get out, even to their father. When he turned down a desolate-looking side road, I asked, "Are we almost t
Edoardo got up to answer the door. "Hi, I’m here to see Mrs. Eppolito." A voice sounded outside the door. "She’s over here," Edoardo said, letting the owner of the voice in and leading her over to me. The woman looked like she was in her late twenties, "Hi," she said, squatting down near me. "I’m Sherry," her eyes run over my face. "I'm a nurse here." She said softly and smiled at me. "It's nice to meet you, Nurse Sherry." I offered. "It's my pleasure, Mrs. Eppolito." "How’s my husband doing?" I asked. "Last I heard, he is stable, but he’s still in surgery." When she saw my face fall, she quickly said, "It’s a good sign that he’s stable at this point in the surgery." She waited until I met her eyes again. "A very good sign. It means he’s strong, and he’s fighting." "Thanks," I told her, grateful for an assurance of hope. She rummaged through the tray she brought and set aside sterile bandages and ointment. Her hands and attention were swift and focused, telling that she kne
EDOARDO'S POV.I didn't know what to expect when I asked her the question before. But the little time Aria had spent with my brother had been from one attempt at running to another. Maybe she doesn't love him enough or maybe she does, but she needs time. I wouldn't want Pietro to end up in a conflicted union after all of this.If there was anything I wanted for my brother, it would be pure love and happiness. And if Aria needed time before she could give him those, then I'd be open to granting her time.Maybe a real-time away from all of this, without forcefully taking her back, would help the both of them actually decide what they really wanted. If only I could take my own advice and apply it to the untamed obsession I have for Celia. I told her I'll kill her husband... Ex-husband actually. And I did, a couple of weeks ago. Would Celia forgive me when she finds out what I did? I have no idea. But I did what I had to do. Especially when I found out that he had sabotaged all the br
PIETRO'S POV."Mr. Eppolito, can you hear me?" The voice was unfamiliar and sounded like it was far away. My brain struggled to make sense of what was going on, but then I heard the voice that every part of my being responded to. "Pietro, I'm here by your side. You have to come back to me. Wake up Sweetheart, open your eyes." God, my wife's voice! It gets me every single time. I pushed through the haze in my subconscious mind and struggled to open my eyes. I felt her small hand in mine, and when I gave it a weak squeeze, I heard the relieved laugh she let out. "He just squeezed my hand" She announced, kissing my fingers and then whispered, "Look at me, sweetheart. Open your eyes and see me. I've missed you so much.""I've missed you too," I said, but my voice was barely more than a croak. I blinked my eyes open, and the first thing I saw was her beautiful face. A face I'd thought I would never see again when I got shot. I'd felt my body shutting down and the only thing that ha
I heard the door shut, but I barely registered the sound. All my focus was on the woman in front of me. I was too weak to do much of anything, but I ran my thumb over her hand and brought it to my face, kissing the palm and pressing it against my cheek, needing to feel some part of her against me. "I was so scared," she whispered, leaning closer. "I was terrified that you won't come back to us.""I’m here, Angel. I’m not going anywhere." Her fingers ran over the light beard I grew in short stay at the treatment home. Then they darted to my chest. "Do you need something for your pain? Should I press the Morphine button?" "No, I don’t want to fall asleep. I’ve gone long enough without seeing you." I said. Reaching up, I ran a finger along her jaw. "I’m sorry my love, for hurting you." I added."I know," she whispered. "Let's talk about something else." She smiled at me and kissed my cheeks."How badly did they hurt you before I got there?""I’m fine," she said, not answering the qu
I was smiling when I pushed into our bedroom where my wife had been strapped down to a couch in the last couple of minutes. The fact that we had the whole family around for a visit did absolutely nothing to stop our crazy selves from doing what we wanted.They were all in the living room with the new housekeeper, taking care of them while I got my wife all to myself until we decide to come out or not. They knew better than to force us to come out. My wife looked up when I came into the bedroom. She was naked; her legs were spread open with a vibrator inserted inside her, making her squirm nonstop with need. The vibrator was set to go for forty seconds at a time, at a slow pace. Then it would stop for a minute before starting up again. Just enough to get her desperately aroused, but not enough to make her come. Very slowly, I unbuttoned my shirt as she glared at me. "This isn’t fair, Sir," she was panting. "Oh, that's too bad." I mocked her with my tone and my eyes. I carefully f
PIETRO'S POV.The last couple of weeks have been hell for me, living without Aria and uncertain if she was going to come back to me or not.I've learned to take life one day at a time. Once, I'd threatened Edoardo and forced him to reach out to her. But she drove an invisible dagger into my heart when she said she didn't want to speak to me.I absolved myself into work and being a better version of myself while keeping hopes up that she'd have a change of mind, eventually. We were still married by law and I'll be damned if I agree to a divorce.Opening the front door, I was met by my new housekeeper, Erica. She pointed to my study. “You have... There's someone, she's in there, waiting for you.” She blabbed."Who?" I asked, frowning.She reduced her voice to a whisper when she replied. "Your wife sir." My briefcase slipped off my fingers and I paid not even the slightest attention to it as I ran to my study. The door was unlocked so I pushed it in.My wife, the very bane of my existe
I rolled out of bed the next morning, so sore that I could barely walk. But I knew I needed one thing, and that was coffee. And even though I was too sore to make it myself. I had no choice but to locate the kitchen. But as thoughtful as the Eppolito brothers were, there was a housekeeper already cooking up a storm."Good morning, Mrs. Eppolito." She greeted me when I entered the kitchen."Hi, good morning. Uhm, I'm Celia, and you?""Erica." She replied."Great. Can you... I'd like a cup of coffee with half and half. Is that possible?" "Coming right away, Ma'am," Erica replied.I took a seat on one of the kitchen stools, grateful for the soft padding of the seat. I waited patiently for my coffee. The coffee was ready in less than three minutes. I was just finishing the last sip when I heard Edoardo shouting, "Celia. Celia. CELIA!" I didn’t even have a chance to call back when I heard him kicking the door of the bedroom we slept in, open, slamming it against the wall."I can’t find
My legs were starting to ache from dancing, Edoardo looked at me and shook his head. "Let’s go," he said, pointing me to the garage."Where?" I asked. "Everyone is still here," I said, spotting Pietro in a friendly chat with Lax and a couple of other men. Papa was still dancing and eating cake. Freda and Dorcas were telling a group of women some interesting story that got them hooked."It's our night baby," Edoardo said, turning me around to face the direction of the garage. "I want to go someplace calm and sink myself inside you all night."My mouth opened slightly, and he jerked his head toward the garage. My ass was too sore to contemplate disobeying him again tonight. After driving through steep roads, hills, and endless curves, we arrived at a calm, gigantic home, completely isolated from the streets. There were security manning the gate and the house itself."Is this yours?" I asked as we drove in."No, it belongs to Pietro and Aria." He replied.He parked the car and I tried
Immediately I felt his hard cock on the small of my back; I knew both of us had lost the battle.I lost the strength to fight him and he lost the determination to punish me. I felt the exact moment he lost his control; his breath got ragged, and he sighed regrettably."Fucking stop running away, please." He said giving up. "If anything happens to you, I won't survive it." He added.And the tears stung my eyes. Edoardo's love for me has always defied superficial understanding. Our relationship had been the best thing ever. We loved each other recklessly. Until I left him because of my terrible father.His dick continued pressing into my naked ass. Then I heard a zipper and the feel of his hot cock between my legs. He shoved my thighs apart roughly, his hands a sharp slap on my legs to make me move them faster. "Open," he growled. I gasped at the feeling as he shoved his dick through my legs and into my pussy. His cock pushed, ripped, tore through, and filled me. I couldn’t lie anymo
Today's plan was successful. I took the woods instead of the road. So, no one would have thought it wise to check the woods just yet. I contemplated my situation. I was all alone in the woods, and I had no goddamn clue where I was. Why the fuck had I thought this plan would work. I turned in another direction and began to maneuver through the trees. Panic began to rise in my chest as the branches tore at my arms and dress. "Surely the house was back that way. So the road must be this way."An owl hooted nearby, making me almost jump out of my skin. The trees all formed thick canopies, making the wood quite dark. And then I saw a shape come out behind a tree at me.I screamed my lungs out. My voice was high-pitched and alarming. But with a gasp of relief, I realized that it was my husband. "Edoardo." I cried, my heart pounding. "Hello, baby," he said, his voice was like ice. "You scared the fuck out of me," I said, inadequately. "And I’m going to do much more than that pretty so
It was the morning of our wedding. The house was already packed. The servant quarters were buzzing with activity, and Papa was the first to get dressed. I had climbed down the stairs to see what the whole noise and cheers were all about. Only to find out that they were cheering Papa. I backed away to the stairs and turned right into Edoardo's broad chest. "It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding." Hollered Aunt Dorcas from the room, but Edoardo only laughed. "It will only be bad luck for anyone who tries to keep me from her after today." He said. And his eyes were so bright when he looked at me, devouring me, that my breath caught in my throat and I didn’t think I could run away from him again, whether he consumed me or not. I left for my room and he stepped aside, giving me a sweet smile. The next few hours went on, with Freda getting me ready and wearing a very cute dress as my substitute Matron of Honor or whatever they call that now. The preacher was more happy
Aunt Dorcas was seated on the couch smoking when I got downstairs. "Dorcas, could you take that smoke outside?" Papa called, wrinkling his nose up. "I’m not disturbing anybody," Dorcas replied."Look how much smoke you're puffing into your lungs. You'll graduate to an exhaust pipe by the time you get to eighty." Papa murmured.Freda walked in on the unfolding drama and cast an agonized look at me. I didn’t say anything because I didn't want to get in the middle of whatever Papa and his sister-in-law were doing."You know Pietro and Edoardo aren't scared of you," Freda said, "They'll just pick you up and put you on the roof while you smoke."Dorcas sighed, "Those boys have always been assholes." But she stubbed her cigarette out as her sharp ears heard a voice that resembled that of Pietro.It was only two more days until our wedding. My heart was leaping, but I didn't want to show it. The entrance door came open, and Pietro Edoardo stepped in. I felt Edoardo standing across the ro
Edoardo had been gone all day and I realized I was unconsciously listening for the sound of his car, signaling his return. Freda and I were sitting around the table after dinner, playing the Ludo game. "That's a lovely nail polish." I pointed to Freda's nails."Gel polish?" I asked."Yeah." She nodded. "I can help you put on some before the event." She suggested. "I have a couple of bottles with promising shades."I thought about it, then nodded. "I think I'd like that.""You know, when my husband was alive, he hated it when I spent too much money on these things. Is that the same with Edoardo?" She asked."You married his...""Uncle," Freda told me. "But he's gone now."I didn't know what to answer. I rarely bought any stuff. Edoardo got all my outfits. He even got my jewelry and lingerie. When we were dating, it was the same, he'd get anything he thinks is going to look good on me.But that was after taking his time to study my style. That way, there was nothing he got I didn't lov