M A R C O
Past
"Strip." I didn't even take my eyes off her beautiful, curvy and petite stature.
In the world of vanilla sex, where the man orders the woman with such a crass word, it would have been sounded slightly offensive. But in my world of sex, a submissive would be nothing less than grateful when the dominant asked for something like this.
"Yes, Sir."
Jessica, the beautiful strawberry-blond haired woman, kneeling between my legs smiled with grace and slowly rose to her feet. A natural sub that she was, she gradually turned around as her fingers reached behind her back and pulled down the zip of her little black dress.
Nothing turned-on a dominant like me than the willing, beautiful gift of submission from a woman like this.
Taking the last sip of the drink, I plopped down the glass on the table beside the leather-clad couch. By now, the fabric slipped down from her body and pooled around her legs. Jessica stepped out of it and unclasped her bra deftly, letting it fall along with the recently discarded dress.
Before she could take off that lacy red thong, I instructed, "Turn around and do it."
She swiveled slowly, with a flash of trepidation dancing across her features. Nakedness always drew out the smallest of the small vulnerability in the mind of a submissive—no matter how many times she had scened with any dominant. That and the string of unknown demands that were to follow. And these made them happily pliant and so beautifully obedient.
Without another moment's delay, the thong slid down and joined the rest of her clothes.
"Leave the heels on," I said, standing up and stepping towards her.
Her posture straightened immediately—shoulders squared, hands tucked behind her back, legs apart and chin jutted out.
Reaching her, I pushed back her voluminous curly mane and gently caressed the side of her cheeks and jaw-line. No makeup. I always liked that in a woman. Nothing looked prettier than the natural flaws and raw feel of the skin.
I glanced down and knelt down on one leg before her to position my mouth directly near her sex. For the long, agonizing moment my hands roamed around her inner thighs as I felt her gently swaying with wanton need.
I tap the skin with a finger. "Spread the legs wider, Jess. You and I, we both know how wide it should be and arms behind your head."
Jessica immediately complied. It wasn't the first time that I was scening with her. I didn't have any particular sub under my wing, but there were particularly few I enjoyed playing with and she was one of them.
Channeling my forefinger between her outer folds, I felt the delightful warm moisture between her folds. The ragged, sharp intake of her breaths was unmistakable to my ears by now.
Her pleading gaze met with mine as I kept rubbing between her folds. "Do not come under any circumstances, Jess," I said. The night was still young.
She bit a muffled groan and closed her eyes. "Yes, Sir. I will... try."
"You know I can only reward you if you are a good girl for me, Jess."
She nodded frantically, fighting back the surging orgasm within her. It was always a heady experience for a Dom to watch the Sub struggling to fight back the pleasure at the command of her master.
I slowly withdrew the finger and rose up to my height. Placing the finger near lips, I invited, "Taste yourself, girl."
Moaning like a kitten, she obeyed.
I withdrew the finger and brushed the pad of my thumb over her lip balm-smeared lips. "Tell me your safe words?"
"Red. To slow down, yellow, Sir," she breathed out.
I never favored safe words other than the usual traffic light system. For one, sometimes I get so engrossed in the scene that different safe words might slip out of my mind and I wouldn't ever want to harm the woman who trusted me enough with her naked body. Unless a Sub really insisted on a particular one, Red has always been my go-to.
"Good." I nodded. "Lie down on the bed. Knees up, legs spread—as wide as you can go—and arms stretched above. Tonight, I am binding them."
"Yes, Sir."
While she complied with the orders, I strode across the room and opened the chest drawer. Taking out all the necessary implements I needed for tonight, I took my sweet time sliding the drawer back in its place and sauntering closer to the bed.
"Ah! That's quite a sight," I murmured, and a satisfying smile broke out of her pretty lips.
I took her outstretched hands in mine, feeling the racing pulse as I cuffed her to the headboard ring of the customized bed. This room wasn't exactly a playroom, but over the years I preferred the scenes here rather than at any club or my own bedroom.
Stripping off, I placed the easiest clamps on her pebbled nipples before giving them a good licking. Jess was one of those women who could only tolerate a little torment on her delicate nipples rather than the ferocious clamps, although her endurance for spanking was beyond colossal.
I settled down between her legs and held up the vibrator slightly, enough within her visual range. "If I am going to tease you with this, how long before you'd come, Jess?"
"I think two minutes?" She formed it as a question and quickly added, "Sir."
I gave her a long, hard look. "I don't play coy, girl. Answer me straight."
"Two minutes, Sir," she amended. "I don't think I can hold much longer than that."
"Why do you think so?"
She shrugged lightly. "I often masturbate with a vibrator and I come easily with it."
I nodded. "Five minutes," I rumbled low. "For tonight you will hold it for five minutes. And let me remind you, Jess, as much as you love a spanking—a punishing one from my rubber paddle won't be a pleasurable one. So I suggest you would do your best to restrain yourself."
She gulped loudly as the buzz came to life and within seconds contacted with her clit. Toes curled and hips alleviated on its own, eliciting loud moans out of her dry throat, it was indeed a heady sight.
"Scream as loud as you want, but no coming, Jess," I reminded. I splayed her lips with one hand and the other rubbed the buzzing toy around her opening.
She was fighting hard, I could say. Sweat slicked her skin as the heat whirling between her legs coursed throughout the length of her body.
"No, no...Please...no more..." She bit onto her lips and I was a little troubled that she might draw blood anytime soon.
I chuckled low. "'No' is not the safe word and it's just three minutes and counting," I said, looking at the watch.
"OH HELL!" she screamed and arched her back as the orgasm came undone. I flicked the vibrator off and shook my head. Innocent, submissive eyes stared back at me with both dread and remorse.
"Sorry, Sir," she purred.
"If I didn't know any better, girl, you did that on purpose."
"No, no, I tried—"
"Save it," I snapped with narrowed eyes. "No talking from now on. If you can't keep the lips zipped, I have the perfect gag for those pretty lips. Nod or shake your head for your answer."
She shook her head, letting the strawberry blonde tresses sticking to the side of her cheeks and lips.
"Good girl."
I uncuffed her arms from the headboard, making her sit on the edge of the bed with her legs dangling. My fingers gently kneaded her shoulders for a brief moment to make sure her blood circulation was even. Years of experience as a Dominant taught me enough to know every minute detail of what goes inside the mind and the body of a Submissive.
When her breathing settled a bit from the first rippling pleasure of the night, I slightly tugged at her hair forcing her gaze on mine. "You have a hair tie in your bag?"
She nodded in acquiescence.
"Good. Pull your hair into a ponytail and not one strand should be let loose. After you're done, bend over the arm of the couch."
She took a moment and regarded but obeyed as graciously as she could. The moment she was bent over as she was told, I picked up the paddle among the implements and covered the between us.
As I slapped the paddle on my palm, Jess jittered a little at the sound and looked over her shoulders with beseeching eyes. But a resonating smart smack with my palm connected with her ass stilled her body instantly.
"Eyes front!" I barked out. "No turning around, girl."
I took her arms and pulled it behind her back, making her lock the wrist with the other arm.
"Under no circumstances, the hands will move. And no wriggling this pretty ass while I am paddling you," I patted her, "and the only word I want to hear out of your mouth would be 'red' if you must use."
This time she didn't try to look over her shoulder and just bobbed her head. Other than a few slip-ups, she was doing pretty well to please my dominant instincts. So, I placed the paddle beside the table.
My hands roughly squeezed, kneaded and caressed her ass cheeks. "I am feeling a little generous today. I will give you a warm up with the hand and then move to the paddle. This way you won't bruise much."
It was almost an irresistible thought to spank a pliant, obedient Sub when you own dick was throbbing with need.
SLAP!
The first unprepared smack against her skin took her by surprise, drawing out an instantaneous yelp. The series of strikes that followed the first were good enough to turn to her blank globe into a pinkish hue. Spanking with an open palm was just foreplay that Jessica loved too much. The mewling sounds she made were nothing but of pleasure.
I stopped spanking her for a minute and two of my digits delved into her warm, wet passage. The moment her swollen nub came in contact with my skin, Jessica wriggled her hips. Tiny quakes of need were making her tremble as my fingers dug into the skin of her shoulders.
"Easy, easy, Jess. I don't exactly show mercy on a sub unless I dish out the punishment first. Although, if I'd let you come at all tonight," I murmured the last line more to myself.
The whimper and the tiny whine told me more than what I needed to her.
Slapping her pink skin one last time, I announced, "Time for the paddle."
The first blow on her sit spot with it expectedly made her scream and she clenched her cheeks in retaliation.
I tapped the paddle on her hips gently. "Safe word?"
Jess shook her head confidently.
"Then unclench the cheeks. Now. And exhale," I coached.
Letting out a loud sigh, she adjusted the legs a little wider—an invitation for the Dom to continue.
The following smacks landed alternatively on her cheeks, the skin where her ass met her thighs and rarely on the lower portion while she struggled anew with every blow. And when her flesh was enough rosy red for my liking, I stopped and knelt between her legs. Laving up her warm, damp sex with my tongue—front to back—that not only extinguished the fire but shook her core vigorously.
It was only when her pussy started contracting that I pulled out briskly. The loud exhale tore out from her told me that she was both grateful and frustrated for not letting her come without permission.
I tapped her shoulder. "You may get up, Jess."
She gradually arose, elegantly—as much as one could do with a blistered ass—and stood before me with the eyes lowered. Nothing thrilled me more than the grace of a submissive willing to please her dominant. It never impressed me if the posture or movements were not refined, which was why I preferred experienced subs rather than new ones.
Placing a finger under her chin, I lifted her face. A smile broke out her lips and she whispered breathily, "Thank you, Sir."
I smirked and reached out to take off the nipple clamps. "How are your legs, Jess? Are you in pain?" She had been wearing the high heels all through the night.
An intoxicated smile lightened up her features. "Good, Sir."
I looked over her shoulders briefly and then met her eyes, grazing my fingers gently along the sides of her face. "If I were to fuck you against the wall, right now, would you be comfortable?"
"Whatever pleases you, Sir."
"Good. I am not in the mood to use the bed tonight. Brace yourself against the wall," I ordered, pointing over her shoulders. "I want palms flat, legs spread and ass out. Go." The gruff voice sounded unfamiliar even to my own ears.
Grabbing the bottle of lube from the nearby table, I smeared over my already hard manhood and also over her tight rosebud. Jess knew what was coming and she was well aware of my fondness for her ass over her pussy.
"Punishment's over, Jess," I rasped, stroking my length. "You may come as much as you want and scream as loud as you can."
I held her hips without another word and eased into her until the aching moan turned into a pleasurable wail. In no time, I was coming apart in seams as her tight passage gripped my cock. The first orgasm made her cry out in ecstasy as I kept thrusting. The subsequent ones that followed almost wore her out. Had I not gripped her hips, I bet her legs would have given away by now.
"I am coming," I announced in chafed voice and pumped harder than ever. Within seconds, I came undone as the sound of feral grunts and groans filled the silence of the night.
My fingers loosened against her hips and as expected, her knees buckled, and she knelt down on the floor. Slowly, I picked her up and placed on her the bed. As the sheen of sweat begun to cool on her skin, I dragged a cover over her body. Jess was almost passed out.
Before I could reach out to take off her heels, there was a loud buzz on the front door. I glanced up and saw the clock: 2 AM. Quickly putting on my jeans, I pulled up the live camera feed outside the door to see who saw it fit to bother me at two fucking AM in the morning.
And when I saw the face, a series of curses left my lips as I marched towards the door. By now, he had already buzzed the door at least thrice, thus flaring my temper.
I yanked open the door and there he was—perfectly suited in a dark blue Armani suit even at 2 AM. God! This man needed a woman in his life to keep him busy at this hour so he would let me have my peace.
"Seriously, Viktor?"
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M A R C OPast"Seriously, Viktor?""What on earth took you so long?" he groused, stepping inside the house.I slammed the door with a force and turned around to face him. "What the hell are you doing here at this time?"His gaze zeroed in on the pink woolen scarf of Jessica lying near the sofa and darted back to mine, questioningly. Then he muttered with a smirk, "Of course. Is she gone?""No," I said, walking towards the kitchen island.I grabbed the bottle of scotch, two glasses and went back towards the sofa where he had already made himself at home. His presence ensured that I would be having a crappy night so I thought I might as well get drunk for that. His suit jacket was tossed over the arms of the sofa by now, while his legs rested on top of the table.Viktor Romano was the present Boss, after his father, Alessandro Romano, stepped down, handing him over the reins of the criminal empire. Viktor, as the youngest Boss of the Mafia family, was invincible so far. It was difficul
A U R O R APastI must have passed out. Next time when I came to my senses, I found myself back in the car seat, lying comfortably with my head rested on a small pillow. It was a smooth drive, considering the luxurious car, as I slowly adjusted my eyesight. Viktor sat comfortably in the front, engrossed on his phone.Groaning, I sat up as I slowly recollected the events right before I passed out.Factory. Captive. Viktor. Blood. Of course! I realized I didn't pass out at the sight of blood. It was my entangled predicament that unnerved me for a moment."Are you feeling alright?" Viktor asked curtly, his eyes glued on the rearview mirror."Yes," I groaned, even though my voice clearly suggested the contrary. My head was pounding like hell. "Did I hurt my head somehow?" I asked, clutching it tightly in my hands."No," he said. "Your knees are just lightly bruised."I gazed down quickly to realize that he had already cleaned the wounds and applied some kind of ointment on it."Great," I
A U R O R AThere was thick air of danger that followed me around eerily ever since I met Marco. It hollowed out my capability to think and act as a person of ordinary prudence.Nothing good would come out of this arrangement, and I knew it the moment I stepped inside this place.I knew it in the same way I had known every unfortunate incident I had faced so far.Marco sent me to a room which was supposed to be mine. The well-furnished sight of expensive furniture, luxury bed, and all the refined things was still not good enough to take away the heavy burden pounding my head. The vanity came at a cost I wasn't willing to pay. An unwanted debt I would have to carry around me for the longest time in the foreseeable future.For the past few years, I escaped from one terrible situation to another, but I didn't want to give up. Even now, sitting on the lap of indebted extravagance, I knew in it my bones that I have enough fire left within me to seek for the freedom of my own.To run far, f
A U R O R APast - 17years oldBy the time I came downstairs, donning expensive gymwear and shorts, Marco was standing by the kitchen isle. As soon as he noticed, he checked his watch. It wasn't needed actually; I was well within the time frame of 180 seconds.And of course, there's only so many times I'd dare to risk displeasing him in one day."Follow me," he said and started walking, expecting me to be on his heels.Surprisingly so, I was.I followed him silently through the door, towards another portion of the house. Since he gave me the tour the previous day itself, I knew where we were headed - the gym.His gymnasium wasn't some expensive workout place that a man of means could afford to build. It was beyond that. The entire space glowed with bright sunlight, enclosed by the ceiling-to-floor glass wall. Half the arena was a boxing ring, while the other half was crowded with equipment of all kinds.He led me to the space between the ring and treadmill, where a small pouch was sus
M A R C OPast"I think she fell asleep, Sir," Della informed over the phone."Good."Well, she had to.Had I not worn her out, the little hellion would have tried another escape plan and effectively ruined my night's sleep. But more than her, I was pissed with Viktor.Who the hell gave him the idea that I could be the baby-sitter-cum-trainer for her?I preferred dealing with petulant submissives, knowing I could redden their ass to my liking if they ever happen to annoy me.But a rebellious teenager? Hell fucking no. One month, I reminded myself. Once the month would be up, and Aurora would be officially Viktor Romano's problem and not mine.The only issue nagging my erratic mind was the fate she would incur after a month. Sure, I could take care of the assholes who tried to rape her and was still hunting her. Even wiping off her criminal record wouldn't be a problem. The Romano influence in this Windy City was much powerful than people have come to realize.But then there's Viktor.
A U R O R APastMarco's definition of 'run' was two miles out in the freezing weather. And if I whined about the cold too much, he would make me increase the pace. By the time we came back, I was a sweating mess—flushed and entirely out of breath. But it didn't seem to please Marco one bit.Half an hour later, he dragged me into the gym again for another endless session of workouts to add on to my misery. And with each passing day, he would push me further until he was satisfied. Every time I would get the hang of something, Marco would change the course. Just like that, one morning, he suddenly decided that all these kinds of torture were not good enough and made me do additional exercises as well, failing which I would have to work ten times more."Thirty laps," Marco instructed one day, reclining against the lounge chair.Swimming wasn't the part of the curriculum until then. Somewhere down the line, I realized that you couldn't impress this man no matter how hard you have tried.
"Life is a fight from the minute you take your first breath to the moment you exhale your last." ~ Ronda RouseyA U R O R ASitting behind the closed wooden door, I could hear the animalistic uproar along with the pounding of my heartbeat, drumming in my ears. Both the sounds were terrifying on its own."It's just a fight—a fair fight. Remember every move I taught you."Marco's words floated out of nowhere into my subconsciousness as I tried so hard to find my strength out of them. However, instincts never lie. Something in my gut told me that I have good reasons to be afraid."Let's go. It's time," someone clipped out. I looked up to find a beefy man with a bald head stood by my side.Unable to find my voice, I nodded and stood up on shaky legs.Several steps later, the wooden door thurst opened, the only thing that separated my mind from the horrible onslaught, and the collective roar of beasts deafened my ears. Despite the humid, testosterone-charged surrounding, my skin turned froz
"In the blink of an eye, something happens by chance - when you least expect it - sets you on a course that you never planned, into a future you never imagined." ~ Nicholas SparksM A R C OThe last time I held my breath for this long, Ralph was teaching me how to evade the waterboarding torture method. It was an exquisite torture plan by pouring water over a cloth covering the face and lets you experience the sensation of drowning.There were times when I had managed to hold my breath longer than usual. But there were occasions when I faltered, and the water would plunge straight into my lungs, burning up.It was an indescribable agony I had endured so far. No amount of bleeding wounds, broken bones, or dislocated shoulder equaled to the pain of burning lungs and lack of oxygen in the system.But when I saw Aurora, walking into the cage with panic-stricken eyes, sweat-sheened skin, and shaky legs, it surpassed every other suffering I had experienced before.Every time her eyes sought
AURORAIt was not my first rodeo in a BDSM club. Hell, I had lived this life a few years ago, and yet it felt like ages. As I sat there, motionless and holding my breath, I watched Marco raise his arm at a certain degree and land a measured yet bone-chilling smack across the poor submissive’s bare ass, catching the sensitive skin where the thighs sloped down. He immediately arched, careful not to break his posture because whoever was watching the scene and knew Marco, knew the consequence of breaking his rhythm. Oh, yes. He was as vicious as articulate, and any deviation resulted in severe penalties. “God, please!” I heard the submissive moan into the cushion, the littlest complaint he could make without offending his master and the master whipping his ass. The second and third blows crisscrossed over the ass cheeks, while the fourth and fifth took his breath away. I followed how he cringed every time the soft swish of the belt rang in the air before it landed on his back. “Hmm,
AURORAI stormed into Viktor's office, the door slamming against the wall with a deafening bang. My anger surged as I spotted him behind his desk, casually sipping on a glass of whiskey as if he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell on me. He looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly as he took in my furious expression. “Aurora,” he greeted, his voice calm and collected. Too calm for my liking. “I’ve been expecting you.”I crossed my arms, glaring at him. “What the hell, Viktor? You decided behind my back that I’m going on this job with Marco? You know damn well I can handle this on my own.”Viktor sighed, setting his glass down with a soft clink. “Aurora, this isn’t about your capability. You’re one of the best enforcers I have, but this job is too important to risk anything less than perfection.” Fuck his perfection. I scoffed and my blood was boiling. “And you think Marco is the answer to that? That asshole, who you know I haven’t worked with in years?”“Yes, I do,” he replied firmly, lea
MARCO I had seen her hours ago, hiding behind the glass separator of the Romano mansion, and every bone in my body wanted to drag her out and kiss her lips blue and paint her ass red to make her feel every agonising hour I’d spent without her for these three years. Three fucking years. She took up and left, without so much of a goodbye. Not that I deserved it but I would have eventually given her the truth once the dust had settled. Aurora needed to know that there was another side of the story of what had really happened that night, and all I was doing was protecting her, but as always, she did not wait. I was so angry, so hurt and broken that I’d have taken her scorching rage and indifference any day rather than not seeing her at all. I knew she was hurt, too, for that night three years ago. And she deserved to know more than what the four-minute and seventeen-second video clip had shown, but she could have given me the time. Instead of doing something so brash and reckles
AURORAI have dealt with men far dirtier, more lethal and criminal than the whore I have been asked to capture and torture. It was like one of those warm-up matches you play before you get to the big one. Not that I minded playing the warm-up, but I was bored. “Will you fucking shut up?” I asked, kicking her chair before landing a punch against her jaw. There were black shadows around her eyes already that I had deepened with time, but what I hated the most was her crying all the time. I liked her for a brief second when she gave me the small chase but other than that, she was no fucking fun. And I really wanted to have that fun.But I also had to heed Viktor’s warning that she should not be so broken because he had plans for her and when Viktor Romano has plans for anyone, even the Devil would not interfere. And then when Viktor barged into her cell with his woman, I knew my job was done.XXXSammy, Mia and I chatted alongside the pool, making me realise how clueless Mia was rega
AURORA I didn’t know the name of the magic pill Sammy gave me the next morning but somehow, I felt fresh as a daisy. Considering the night we had, I wondered if I was going to lie in my own vomit the next day. Thankfully, it didn’t happen. I grabbed my phone, going through the messages Viktor had left me last night and also a bunch of files detailing some chick named Nora. Apparently, she slept with Dominic and got close to the family. I didn’t bother how she pissed Viktor off but given the way he wanted me to ‘take care’ of the problem, I was guessing that she had royally fucked with Viktor to incur his wrath. Strolling down to the office, I didn’t bother knocking and barged in. Dominic and Viktor were hunched over the table, frowning over something. As soon as they registered my presence, Dominic rolled his eyes. “Do you ever fucking knock?” He wasn’t least bit surprised to see, especially when he nagged me the entire time to come back probably because Viktor had already inf
A U R O R AI stepped out of the airport and stood out there for a long moment.When the cold wind touched my skin, I absorbed the familiarity of the feeling. This was Chicago. This was home, even when the haunting memories kept me away, I longed for it. I just didn’t realize until now. I hailed a cab and headed for the first destination I had planned. It would not be an easy one, I knew, but I had to. I searched for the right words all along the cab ride, coming up with nothing when the cab came to a halt. Grabbing the small duffle, I paid and got out. I thought of calling or dropping a text, I didn’t know how it would be received. Also, what would I say? What could I possibly say that would make three years worth of the mess go away? So I waited around, lounging on the chair of the small room and hoped for the best.I had almost dozed off when I heard the door unlatch and turned around. Sammy, too, paused at the threshold, surprise etched all over her features before she blinked it
A U R O R AThree years later.It was just one of those days in Mexico.The entire room was a mess and I did not make it a point to clean the same. Partly because I had never stayed in one place for far more than necessary and also that I never wanted any apartment to feel like home. I had pushed myself so far out of my comfort zone in the last three years that mundane life made me restless. I never wanted to be comfortable again or relaxed. Been there, done that. I’d fear that if I do, I’d end up shattered or dead. Three years ago, I chose to be sent to this country to eliminate the threat in Chicago and slowly, I did. After I had left Chicago, there were two more attacks and the third was taken care of by Marco, as I was informed. The setback send a rippling effect in Mexico as the Carillo Cartel set up new strategies. Unfortunately, they did not realize that their fucking villas were wired. I’d been employed as a maid, getting the easy access into their homes. I had a few years
A U R O R ATwo days laterThe phone rang incessantly as I drove through the streets of Chicago. It is from Viktor’s office. Since he was in no position to deal with the daily shit, Marco and I decided to take up the matters but individually. We divided the responsibilities geographically and took up the issues as and when required so that neither Viktor nor Dominic has to bother themselves. But, apparently, the idiots at Viktor’s office did not understand the difference between taking orders and executing them. They would call a hundred times a day, seeking instructions on frivolous things and would strum the last of my nerves until I would pick up a damn baseball bat and struck against their empty heads.I ignored the first few rings but when they did not stop calling for 10 minutes, I picked up.“What now?”“Ma’am,” came a stammering voice from the other end. “There has been a blast at the warehouse.” I slammed the brake so hard, my body jerked forward and the car came to a halt.
A U R O R A What is the definition of loss and suffering to people like us? A few weeks ago, my misery had peaked to a primed spot. I had mourned, raged and cried over the loss of a man whom I loved, marinated in grief and wallowed in self-pity. There were so many stages of my suffering that I had believed it to be real, but the one unfolding before my eyes transcended all the other horizons of loss and suffering. Before me, there were two parents, howling over their son’s body. Mrs. Romano cupped his boy’s face as if she were trying to coax him into waking up while Alessandro Romano, the man known to be invincible to Chicago, were bested down by Stefan’s death. He stood stoically, but it was his red, void eyes that spoke volumes. The sight was harrowing. I did not even have the strength to reach out to Sammy. She could barely stand or even breathe in the wake of her loss. Stefan was everything to her, to this family. The youngest, spoiled and beloved. She shook violently, cryi