The melancholy sound of beeping machines almost sends me to sleep, but I fight the urge and take a sip of my canned espresso. Night shifts in the ER are no joke, but it was the first job I was offered out of nursing school so I took it. I took it because I’m determined to earn my freedom from the man who keeps me as his ward. Enzo DeLuca is a man my father worked for. He was Enzo’s second in command of the DeLuca mafia until my father betrayed Enzo to the rival mafia family, the Ronkas. Instead of killing me or selling me into sex slavery, Enzo took pity on me mainly because his son Nico advocated for me to be his father’s ward. Nico DeLuca is determined to make me his wife, and maybe there was a time I wanted that. However, I want my freedom more. Whatever plans Nico and his father have for me are purely for their gain only.
I don’t want their plans. I want my plans. I want to be free from the violent world the mafia is shrouded in. I want to help people, maybe even become a doctor or a midwife. I’m not even sure I want to get married. I’ve been controlled by men my entire life. First my father kept me on a tight leash as he was clearly grooming me to become a mafia wife. I’m not sure if my father meant for me to be Nico’s wife or Anthony Ronka's wife, but I was meant to be someone’s mafia wife. My father was apparently playing both Enzo DeLuca and Marco Ronka for years. Eventually, it caught up to him and got him killed. I was fourteen and I was terrified for my life because I was certain I would be killed by either Enzo or Marco. I wasn’t killed and instead made Enzo’s ward where he then controlled my life. If I marry Nico then I know I’d be giving him control over my life. I want to be in control of my own damn life.
Part of me hates that Nico stepped in for me because I hate that he cares about me, but I hate even more that I still care about him. It’s been five years since I saw him. The minute I turned eighteen I enrolled in nursing school. Surprisingly Nico and his father backed me. They paid for my entire education and even let me move out of the house and into an apartment. Of course, I’m suspicious as to why they let me go so easily. I’m sure their little spies keep tabs on me and report back to them. That’s the shittiest part of this whole thing. Even if I have my freedom I will always be looking over my shoulder wondering when the man I shouldn’t have feelings for will come crashing into my life. I’m not sure I want to date because if Nico comes back into my life and finds me with another man, that man is dead on the spot. Nico is jealous and possessive. There’s also the fact that he still holds my heart slightly captive. I’m not sure there is another man that could pull my attention like Nico does.
Pushing thoughts of my past and the man that haunts me, I focus on checking on the patients who are waiting for results or for the doctor to do their rounds. Most of them are asleep. It’s a quiet night in the ER which is rare especially for a city hospital. However, I work in a hospital that is in a nice part of the city. Most of the people that come through the doors are wealthy or famous, and can pay for every test under the sun. Still, most nights there is some flutter of activity. Then on occasion we get the rare quiet shift. On the nights it’s quiet no one will dare speak their thoughts out loud as we all know the minute someone says it’s quiet the shit storm is about to roll through the ER doors.
After all my patients are checked I head back to the nurses station. I decide to take my hour break because I need to eat and get some more caffeine. I thought I would be able to handle the night shift because I stayed up late studying while I was in school. I also worked a part time job at a coffee shop to earn some money that was mine.However, I sorely underestimated what night shift would be like. I wave to my fellow nurses who are manning the ER with me as I head toward the cafe that is inside the hospital. Thankfully, they are open twenty-four hours because the hospital cafe closes at eight. After eight the only place to get something to eat and drink is at the little coffee stand, which is conveniently a short walk from the ER.
I stand in line at the cafe waiting for my turn totally oblivious to everything around me because right now caffeine is all that matters. Seriously, I’ve been doing night shift for a little over a year and I’m still not adjusted. It’s like my body refuses to comply with being awake at night. It’s starting to irritate me.
“What’s a pretty girl like you doing in scrubs.” A suave voice says behind me. I turn on my heels to face the second most handsome man I’ve ever seen. He’s on the taller side, dark olive tone skin, short slicked back black hair, and warm brown eyes. Correction, there is apparently someone who can draw my attention from Nico, and somehow it’s not a bad thing.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” I ask, realizing the man looks slightly familiar as I am not struck by his tempting features. Looking over at him properly as I’m no longer distracted. Judging by his nice navy blue suit he’s got money. The question is, is he mob rich or just another rich playboy?
“You may have seen me in pictures, but we’ve never met in person.” He answers.
“I’m not in that life anymore.” I firmly state realizing he’s mob rich and I need to stay away. Thankfully, it’s my turn in line. I give the barista my order eager to get back to the break room that is for staff only. However, when I go to pay the handsome mob man offers his black credit card to the barista as he comes to my side.
“Please, allow me to pay for your order, and…” he pauses looking at the barista’s name tag. “Molly, could you please add a large Americano and lemon blueberry scone.”
“Sure, can I have a name for the order?” Molly the barista with her ginger hair pulled back in a tight ponytail says with a smile stretching the freckles that speckle her face. How the hell is she this chipper and I’m over dragging like a slug? .
“Anthony.” The handsome mob man answers, and my world stops.
What are the chances that he’s Anthony Ronka? Here I was expecting Nico to be the one to ruin my what I like to call my fake freedom. I never thought Anthony fucking Ronka would be the one to shatter my blissful bubble. The fact that he’s here means he wants something, and he wants something from me. My mind can’t help but race with questions, but there is one that sticks out the most. What the hell did my father promise him and is here to collect?
Violetta Calla stands next to me as we wait for our order. She’s on edge as she nervously plays with the black stethoscope around her neck. Her celine blue scrubs hide her coca cola shape figure as well as her nice sized breasts. I’ve been watching Violetta from an affair for years. Her father said she was to be my wife, and I want her to be my wife. I wanted to claim her when her father died but the DeLuca’s claimed her first. War isn’t something I wanted to start. Besides, she was only fourteen at the time and I was already eighteen. I figured it was best to let her be with them until I could reclaim her as mine. Violetta going off on her own was a good thing. However, it was clear she was on a mission to separate herself from the mafia underworld. Nico gave her that space so I decided to respect it as well. I’ve been waiting for the right chance to approach and now it’s time to make my move. “You can relax, Violetta . I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to talk.” I inform her.
Sitting at my desk in my large office in the back of the casino looking over the books as I drink a very expensive bottle of Merlot while puffing on an expensive Italian cigar. It’s about four am. I’ll be leaving soon to go rest in the penthouse suite of the hotel that the casino is located in. That’s where I’ve been living since Violetta went off to do her own thing. I didn’t like the idea of her breaking free on her own, but I needed to let her spread her wings or my little dove would be a sad little caged bird. So, I let my little dove spread her wings and fly knowing one day I’d have her as my wife. I’m about to turn twenty-seven and I plan to bring my little dove back home for my birthday which is in exactly three months from today. There’s a huge party planned at the casino. All the guests will get to play on the house. It’s going to be a night to remember because that is the night I also plan to put a ring on my little dove’s finger. I have everything set in motion, and I’m an
I’m thrilled when my shift ends at seven am. I waste no time going to my locker, grabbing my things and hightailing it out the door. I take the bus to my little one-bedroom apartment in an average part of town. I try to avoid the wealthy part of the city and the not so wealthy part of the city. I find the average parts of the city are where I prefer to hideout. I have a cozy standard one-bedroom apartment with a bedroom, kitchen, full bath, and a living room. There’s also a small dining area that I have set up with a small table and one chair. My little apartment is my safe place. My mind is spinning, so I need my safe space so I can come down from the adrenaline pumping in my veins from tonight's shift.. Once I enter my apartment, I lock my door and drop my backpack by the front door before I kick my black sneakers off. I make my way to my bedroom and grab my cotton cream nightgown and a pair of fresh panties before I head to my bathroom. I pop on my shower, lay my clothes and fresh
I’m running on four hours of sleep, but I don’t care. I’m going to Violetta’s apartment. I hate where she lives, but of course she would pick some cheap, basic ass apartment complex to live in. Violetta has always been a stubborn dove. She would defy her father at every turn. Her mom died when she was young in some mafia involved violence, well, that’s what Mario claims. My theory is that Mario killed his wife because after Violetta was born, her mom started fooling around with one of the men under Mario. I don’t know all the details, and to ask my father about it now, I doubt I would get the truth. My father used to tell me everything. I was in on all his plans and secrets. Two years ago my father started to become paranoid that everyone was trying to kill him, even me, which at the time I thought was crazy. Over time, it’s gotten worse. I think he’s losing his mind from years of doing terrible deeds. My father has done some serious fucked up things that I never agreed with. My fath
My heart beats hard as paranoia begins to fuel my adrenaline. The first thing I do is grab the burner phone from my side dresser. Then I grab a pair of my skinny jeans with a red rose colored t-shirt before I grab a cotton black bra and pantie set. I dash to the bathroom and make sure I lock the door. My hands fumble with the phone. It’s a black flip phone that brings me back to being a teenager for a moment before the panic of my reality takes back over. I flip the phone open and text Anthony. 911! Nico just showed up in my apartment while I was sleeping. He’s forcing me to leave with him. What should I do? I hit send and set the phone on the counter and begin changing my clothes while I wait for Anthony to text me. Why am I texting Anthony? I have no fucking clue, but I feel like a stray dog who just got caught by animal control. As I finish dressing, the phone lightly vibrates. I snatch the phone up desperate for a way out. Of course he fucking did He’s impulsive when it comes to
I sorely underestimated how quickly Nico would react to me visiting Violetta. He’s desperate to marry her, but why now? I think it has something with him getting Don from his father. It makes the most sense. It’s not ideal that my violet is back with Nico. At least, she had the good sense to text me on the burner phone. She might not trust me, but she did reach out to me in desperation. So, I’ll take it. Nico acted impulsively, which means he must be feeling desperate. I might be able to use that to my advantage. The hard part is going to be getting Violette away from him. I know he is going to keep her under lock and key. I might have a chance to steal her back at Nico's grand birthday party, but that’s months away. Even then it might be hard. He clearly knows I’m in pursuit of Violetta. The feud between the three families has been going on for decades. The three Italian families have been fighting for control over the Italian parts of the city for far too long. The Russian, Japan
Against my better judgment I let Nico take me out to dinner instead of getting the food to go. I realized that would mean going home sooner with Nico, and I prevented that for as long as I could. However, now we are home, well, Nico’s home. Nico has four homes. One, a condo in the best part of the city. It’s his private place and that is where he has has taken me thankfully. The Second home, is also in the city, but it’s the Ronka home where his parents reside. Nico is an only child which is partly why I think he liked having me around when we were kids. I'm an only child as well, so I guess in some way we bonded over having no siblings . The third, is the Ronka’s family manor in the country. It’s beautiful. The fourth is the Ronka family villa in Italy. Nico takes my backpack and begins making his way to his bedroom. I know the lay out of this condo well. Part of me thinks Nico intends this to be our place. When he bought it he made sure I liked it. He has brought me here every chan
I’m in my study nursing some vodka on the rocks while I flip the burner phone in my hand contemplating what to do with it. The truth is, I know I need to talk with Anthony. There’s a lot at stake right now and I’m not talking about me getting passed Don by my father. There’s enemies lurking waiting to take down the top dogs. Unfortunately, Mario’s greed and poor choices continues to effect us. He gave the other underground families the key to wedging themselves in our operations. The Russians and Irish have always primarily been gun and other illegal weapons. They fight over weapon territory and distribution. The Mexicans obviously have their drugs that they use as their main operations. The Italians stick to illegal gambling, brothels, and those types of scenes. Of course, there are other underworld families like the Japanese that prefer to keep to themselves and do their own thing. Mario wanted to be the top dog, the top family, the top everything. His goal was to be the only ruler
This is a surreal moment in time. Max sent proof of my father’s dead body a mer minutes ago and I’m still staring at the picture with a bag of mixed emotions. Relief is the biggest emotion coursing through me. My whole life my father has forced his control over my life. I’ve never even known what it was like to embrace my own self because I had to bury it deep down to survive. When my father sent me to cozy up to Max, he was supposed to be just a target. A means to end. My father was promising me freedom, but I know now it was all a lie of manipulation. I don’t know the full story behind my father and Misha, but they were friends at some point. Then one day they become more enemies. I’m sure it was my father who did something he shouldn’t have against Misha. The first moment I saw Max, I was attracted to him and it made sex easier. It’s hard to have sex with someone you don’t find attractive. I ended up keeping coconut oil or unscented lube to make myself easily wet so the men I was
“Good morning, Toni.” Nat greets. We decided to only use our nicknames when we are playing. Except for Max and I because we are married and clearly in a romantic relationship. “Morning, Nat.” I reply, flipping the french toast. “Is that French Toast?” Nat questions with a smile as she walks over to where I’m cooking on my built in skillet that is next to the stove. “It is. You earned it.” I wink at her. I told her last night that her reward for pleasing us like a good girl that I’d make her favorite breakfast. She earned it all right. “Good because I was really hoping I’d wake up to it.” She says as she moves over to make herself a cup of coffee. I giggle at her as Max walks freshly showered from his work out. He strides over to me and kisses me on the lips. “Morning, Princess.” He says breaking our kiss. He glances over at Nat. “Morning, Nat.” “Morning, Czar,” I reply, flipping a couple of pieces that need it. “Morning, Max. So, is today the day you think?” She questions as sh
It’s been a couple of weeks since Natalia essentially moved in with us. She is staying in one of the spare rooms. Our house has six bedrooms, and while I do want kids, I do not want more than two. Maybe three, but that’s my limit. Of course, all of that depends on how easy it is for me to get pregnant. Although, I’m glad I have the option to even try. As a woman, I’m outraged at what Chatworth did to Natalia. He had no right to take her womb for her. He stole her chance to be a mom and he did it in such a dirty way too. However, Natalia is at peace with the fact that she can’t have children. That doesn’t mean I won’t make sure Chatwroth doesn’t pay for his crime. No one has the right to make that choice for someone else.Natalia picked the room she wanted. I made sure she got a new wardrobe and she was happy to get a new one. Turns out, Natalia isn’t terrible in her taste in clothes, but clearly her father is. She’s also a pretty nice house guest or she might be trying to kiss my ass
“Alright, Czar, what is going on?” Toni demands when she stops in front of me. “Mona asked me not to kill her, and I realized I can’t be her executioner.” I confess. “Why the fuck not, Max?” Toni aggressively questions, tossing her one hand on her hip. “Do you love her?” “What? No! It’s not like that at all. I promise you, Antonia, you are the only I love. I care about her. I hate to admit it, but I did get to know her a bit over the two years. It just happened naturally in platonic friendship way. That’s the best I can explain it. I hate myself for even saying these words to you, Princess. When I told you she meant nothing before we got married, I meant it. I truly believed it until I was faced with holding her life in my hands. I’m so sorry, I’m sure you feel betrayed and I wouldn’t blame you if you did. However, I promised I’d be honest with you, so that’s what I’m doing.” I honestly explain, hoping we can somehow work past this. Toni’s demeanor softens and the hand that was on
I can’t believe Mona is between Leo and I as we ride to stash house, and it’s the type that houses drugs. No, we have integration stash houses that we take people to integrate them. Some make it out alive, and others not so much. It’s not surprising Mona went after Toni since she’s looked at Toni as her enemy since day one. Toni is of course well trained in defending herself, it makes sense given who her parents are, but especially her bio dad, Anthony. Those two are some dark horses. Sometimes I think Toni is more morally grey than me and that just only makes her hotter. In all our scheming to take Chatworth down we never really discussed what to do about Mona. In the end she wasn’t the enemy that threatened us the most. She has always been this weird side show on her own. I spent two years fucking her, and while I never developed romantic feelings for her, I hate to say it but I got a soft spot for her. Maybe it’s because I saw the vulnerable side of her that no one else did. Mona
Once I’m done checking on everyone I head toward the kitchen and double check things. Lucy and I have hired trustworthy bakers that hold up to our standards. As much as Lucy and I would love to bake everything ourselves like we did when first opened, it’s no longer practical. However, that doesn’t mean we don’t get our time in the kitchen. After I check the kitchen, I finally head to my office to go over the next couple of weeks donut flavors since we do rotate some of the flavors, but always keep the classics. I used to the schedule for the kitchens and the front, but thankfully I was able to pass that duty to my managers who got a raise for the extra work. Lucy and I make sure our employees are fairly treated and that they are paid what they are worth. I don’t always love going to my office because of the drab behind the scenes stuff. Some of it isn’t too bad, but the office is still not my favorite place to be. I like to move around. It’s probably why I enjoy the bounce around I d
A couple of weeks ago a news article was published by a disgraced journalist on Chatworth that was only the beginning of a trail of news stories coming out to disgrace the Senator. Chatworth’s PR team is working overtime trying to save his ass, but every time they put out fire we start a new one. They are struggling to keep up and it’s starting to show, which is good for us because if we set him a blaze long enough he will have no choice but to resign. I can only imagine the spiral Chatworth is on and it makes me happy that he’s suffering because he murdered Misha. Misha was a third father to me. I adored him for treating me like I was already his daughter in law. I pictured him being a grandpa with my two dads. Max and I might be freshly married, but our families have been entwined for decades. Misha’s loss will be felt forever. I enter the bakery from the side entrance where all the employees, vendors, and other services we have like washing for all the towels, aprons, and various
Thanks to Shane for providing us with everything we need to slowly disgrace Chatworth. Trey, Leo, and I. The great thing about corrupt politicians is the chances they have pissed someone off is high. The high numbers man there is a high chance that there is someone who wants a little revenge. Leo was able to find a journalist that Chatworth seduced to get her to not publish a terrible story on him. After she slept with him, he reported her to her boss and said that she was unprofessional making advances on him. The poor woman was fired, and now she is eager to have a piece so good she can sell to her old newspaper rival. We are in the works with her and potentially a couple of others that we might be able to use to disgrace Chatworth. There are many that want to see him gone for one reason or another, so I look at it as we are doing a civil service taking out a corrupt politician. Once he’s disgraced enough, he will have no choice but to resign from his position. Once that happens he
Today is the day for the Senators birthday donuts to be picked up. I have no idea if Mona is going to pick it up or not. However, I do think she will. She will not miss a chance to harass me. She made me her enemy and that was her fault. It’s bad enough she tried to drive a wedge between Max and I, but the fact that she probably had a hand in Misha’s death is what is going to earn her a one way ticket to morg. Shane came through with dirty on Chatworth. Leo, Max, and Trey have been plotting all their movies against Chatworth. It’s only a matter of time before we disgrace Chatworth and force his hand in stepping out of office. Chatworth and his daughter have no idea the fury of revenge that is coming their way. As predicted Mona strides into the bakery wearing some trashy outfit that looks like she came from white trash trailer park show. I get that she is the shameful child because her mom is not Chatworth’s wife, but still for her to dress so trashy makes no sense. I don’t know why