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THE GREAT ESCAPE
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The Mafia's Pawn BETRAYAL UNMASKED
Cleo's POV Luck was on my side, as I made it to the blind spot without incident, the shadows of the tall hedges shielding me from view. I glanced around quickly to make sure no one was watching, then reached for the gate and pulled it open just wide enough to slip through.Within the twinkle of an eye, I was out.After running a few meters away from the mansion, I stopped to catch my breath. I found a silent corner where I slid in and quickly changed out of the stolen uniform. I had worn a trouser and a crop top beneath the uniform before leaving home hoping to blend into the crowd without causing unwanted attraction to myself. “Now where do I go first?” I asked myself as I detangled my loose hair. After a few seconds of thought, I decided to see Miley first, to confront him on why he didn't look for me when he didn't hear from me for over a month and maybe we could plan to escape together. While he gets the car and other things ready, I would go over to Aunt Lydia. Chase her out of
The Mafia's Pawn LINES OF BETRAYAL
The sound of my voice cut through the air like a blade, and the room fell deathly silent. I couldn't believe what I was seeing Miley, the man I had poured my heart into, the man I thought would stand by me no matter what was tangled up in the sheets with my cousin, Ella. Of all people. Rage boiled inside me, mixing with a deep, gut-wrenching betrayal that left me shaking. How could he? And with her of all the girls in New York City?Ella, meanwhile, showed no such shame. She rolled onto her back, stretching lazily as if she hadn’t a care in the world. Her eyes flicked to me, and a smirk curled at the corners of her mouth. “Oh, look who finally decided to show up,” she drawled, completely unfazed. “Don’t take it to heart Cleo, we were just having a bit of fun.”“A bit of fun?” I scoffed. “This looked like so much fun.”Ella tied the few strands of hair lying on her face to the bun on her head. “It is what it is, Cleo”The nonchalance, the absolute lack of remorse in her voice snapped s
The Mafia's Pawn STORM OF BETRAYAL
Cleo's POVElla’s eyes flickered, her rebellious mask slipping for just a second as she realized how close I had come to pulling the trigger. She didn’t say anything, but the faintest hint of uncertainty crossed her face. For once, she didn’t have a snarky comeback, and the silence between us felt thick and heavy just like a storm about to break.Miley let out a shaky breath, relief flooding his features as he took another step closer. “Cleo, please… just put the gun down,” he urged softly, trying to reach out to me as if his touch could somehow fix the mess he had made. His words were gentle, but they held no real understanding, no acknowledgment of the damage that had been done. I stared at him, and all I could see was the man who had promised me the world, only to tear it apart without a second thought. There was no fixing this. No going back. Miley and Ella had made their choices, and so had I.“It's okay, Cleo,” Miley said, his voice barely a whisper now. “Let’s just end this h
The Mafia's Pawn THE HUNTER AWAKES
Russo's POVI woke with a throbbing headache, the kind that pulsed behind my eyes and made every sound feel like a knife slicing through my skull. For a moment, I just lay there, blinking up at the ceiling as I tried to piece together why I felt like I’d been run over by a truck. The room was dim, the curtains drawn tightly shut, but the light that seeped through was enough to send a sharp jolt of pain through my temples.With a groan, I pushed myself up, rubbing my eyes and trying to shake off the fog that clung stubbornly to my mind. Something was wrong. I could feel it, an unsettling hum just beneath my skin. I glanced around, my gaze falling on the empty dishes on the table, the faint smell of something bitter lingering in the air. The memory of last night came rushing back, Cleo’s guarded compliance, her soft smiles, the meal she had insisted on preparing.I reached for the plate, sniffing the rim, and the realization hit me like a punch to the gut. Drugged. She’d drugged me. And
The Mafia's Pawn THE PRICE OF REBELLION
Cleo's POVI stirred awake, my head throbbing like a drumbeat, the dull ache radiating through my skull. I tried to move, but my body wouldn’t respond. I blinked, my vision hazy and blurred as I struggled to make sense of my surroundings. My breath hitched when I finally took on where I was, a dark grimy room, the air thick with smoke that rose lazily from a fire burning inside a rusty old drum.The heat from the fire flickered across the walls, casting long, ominous shadows that seemed to dance mockingly around me. I strained against the ropes biting into my skin, my heart racing as the reality of my situation settled in. I wasn’t free. I hadn’t escaped. I had been caught.Panic flared in my chest, but before I could react, a figure stepped into my line of sight, his movements slow and deliberate. I squinted, my eyes watering from the smoke, and my heart sank when the figure resolved into someone all too familiar.Russo sat casually on a stool in front of me, his posture relaxed but
The Mafia's Pawn THE CONTRACT OF CONTROL
Russo's POV“Here’s everything you asked for, Boss,” Viktor said, handing me a brown envelope. I nodded, opening it and examining the contents. Social Security IDs, driver’s licenses, and other official documents, all bearing Cleo’s face, her name, and her new identity. I thumbed through the IDs, each one more damning than the last. It was all there, carefully crafted and meticulously detailed. This wasn’t just paperwork; it was Cleo’s new reality, one that I had carefully constructed for her.“She thinks she’s still in control,” I muttered, my voice low as I flipped through the documents. “But this time, she’ll play by my rules.”“Untie her,” I ordered, my voice calm but firm, a hint of command that brooked no argument. My men moved quickly, untying the ropes that had bound her to the chair. Cleo’s expression remained gutsy, but I could see the uncertainty flickering behind her eyes. She was waiting for my next move, trying to predict my intentions. But she wouldn’t see this coming.
The Mafia's Pawn SEALED FATE
Cleo's POVMy legs felt heavy as I followed Viktor back to my room, every step echoing with the weight of what had just happened. The papers and IDs Russo had handed me earlier were clutched tightly against my chest, their crisp edges digging into my skin like a thousand tiny needles. Each document felt like a piece of my freedom stripped away, a reminder that every aspect of my life was no longer mine but controlled by the man who had made himself my captor.When Viktor opened the door to my room, I stepped inside, feeling the cold, indifferent space close in around me. He didn’t say a word as he shut the door behind me, the soft click of the lock echoing in the silence. I was alone again, but it didn’t feel like solitude, it was more like isolation, the kind that eats away at you from the inside out.I let out a shaky breath and walked over to the bed, dropping the stack of documents onto the covers. The white sheets of the contract lay on top, staring up at me like a taunt. Russo’s
The Mafia's Pawn DRESSED IN DECEPTION
Cleo's POV The drive was tense, filled with a silence that felt louder than any words could have been. Russo sat beside me in the backseat, his presence commanding even without speaking. I kept my eyes focused on the window, watching the world blur past, each street a reminder of the freedom just out of reach. Viktor drove, his eyes occasionally flicking up to the rearview mirror, ever the watchful guard dog. As we pulled up to an upscale boutique, Russo’s hand rested lightly on my knee, an unsettling gesture that made my skin crawl. “As we go in now, you’ll pick whatever you want,” he said, his voice smooth but laced with the underlying threat that always lingered. “You need to look the part. Our story has to be convincing.”I nodded, forcing my expression to remain neutral, even as anger simmered beneath the surface. To him, this was just another power play, another opportunity to mold me into his perfect puppet. I followed him into the boutique, my steps robotic, every movement
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The Mafia's Pawn THE SET UP
The Mafia's Pawn A DANGEROUS DEAL
The Mafia's Pawn INTO THE UNDERWORLD
The Mafia's Pawn SHADOWS OF THE PAST
The Mafia's Pawn A GROWING BOND
The Mafia's Pawn THE MORNING AFTER
The Mafia's Pawn CROSSING THE LINE
The Mafia's Pawn THE SPARK OF SOMETHING NEW
The Mafia's Pawn SURPRISE AT THE BEACH
