SOFIA'S POV I woke up covered in sweat, my wrist hurt from where they were bound. My mouth hurt from the gag and every single inch of my body hurt. The room was dark and damp and the smell of blood hung in the air. My head throbbed from when they'd delivered a blow to my head when I had tried to resist them. I had no idea how long I'd been out, but judging by how much my body hurt and the dried-up blood on Anita's head, I knew it had been a while. Anita was beside me; she was not moving, but I could hear her shallow breathing—thank God. Daniella was on my other side, she was bruised and very weak, but she still had a look of determination that I envied. I was just glad that we were all alive… for now. Slow and deliberate footsteps approached the space where we were kept. I winced as the door cracked open, casting light into the dark room. A man walked into the room. I gasped. He looked just like Dominic, just a bit older. He was put together, wore an expensive suit and everythi
DOMINIC'S POV Victor pulled me aside after I was done talking to everybody with a serious expression on his face. “You need to talk to Emily.” He said simply. I let out a shaky breath as I ran my fingers through my hair. “I can't talk to her right now, Victor. She's counting on me for something that I can't give her right now and that I'd comfort. I'm a mess. My daughter is in the hands of my enemy and all I can think about is that I need to save her so I don't lose her.” “She's not asking you for comfort, Dominic. She just wants you to know that you are both in this together. If anything, she wants to comfort you. You can't let this whole thing tear you apart, that's how Damien will win.” I didn't respond. I knew he was right, but right now I could not give her what she was asking. I needed to handle this on my own. It was better she stayed away from the entire case. I could not handle emotions right now, it was for the best. I was about to respond when Lorenzo rushed bac
Emily POVStaring out the window of my car, I admired the beauty of the Moreno estate. It is such a shame that a family of this calibre is involved with so many illegal activities."Emily!" I heard my name through the earpiece. "This is Adam, remember the plan, do this once and get out immediately. You are Lena Grant, a high society event planner, don't forget that."Every single instruction he had dished out, I made sure to pay close attention. Being an undercover agent for the Central investigative office for several years comes with a lot of experience. I am not new to the task, but for some reason, I have an odd feeling about this operation. This is the third week that I have been rehearsing for the role after the case was brought before my desk, so the execution was never going to be a problem.Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and stepped out of the vehicle onto the lawn of Moreno estate. The urge to just stand in awe and admire the beautiful piece of construction was heav
Emily POV He stared at the table where I dropped the folders and then back at my phone. As he approached me, I felt my heart pounding. "Maybe I never said this from the beginning, but I don't like it when people enter places that they are not supposed to be." He glared at me, while his voice was laced with venom. 'You have to leave now!' I heard Adam yell through my earpiece, but I am not the type of agent to run away from a challenge. I broke the last distance between the both of us, smiling despite seeing the anger in his eyes. "I am sorry if I broke into your private space, I cannot help but admire the decorations in the office," I said, pointing to the direction of the designs on the wall. My lie did not seem to have impressed him, as his expression was unreadable. The tension in the room was palpable and I began to wonder what could be going through his mind. "I think you will find out that the real beauty is in the view." He says, pointing to the city skyline, which
Three days later… Emily POV "I was scared you were going to blow up your cover, so I had to send forces on your behalf," Adam said, as we walked through the cell rooms. "I have spent several years as an undercover agent and not once have I blown my cover, I don't intend to do it with the Moreno family," I replied. We stopped at the solitary confined cell and Adams turned to look at me, worry written all over his face. "Are you sure you can handle him? Dominic may be calm, but there is no saying what he is going to do to you after you betrayed his trust." I understood Adam's worrying statement, the Moreno family must be out there looking to kill me, which is why I need to get the information from Dominic about his activities before leaving the country. "You don't have to worry about anything Adams, I will be fine," I assured him. He nods his head in understanding and the cell door is opened. "Good luck." He commented, before leaving. I took a deep breath and stepped into the
Emily POVDuring the endless hours of my flight, I was angry at the fact that Dominic had questioned my sexual life in the presence of everyone who had most likely listened to our conversation in the cell room. Never had anyone disrespected me in several years than he had done that very moment.When I arrived at my apartment, I noticed a strange black van parked opposite my apartment. Before my journey to the prison, there had been no cars across the street, which makes this one very suspicious.Regardless, I walked into the living room but stopped when a masculine scent hit my nose and this caused me to be alert, realising someone had broken into my space.When I dropped my bag on the couch, I heard the sound of plates dropping to the floor in my kitchen and a deep voice cursing. I reached into my purse for a pepper spray, ready to take on the intruder.My feet touched the floor quietly, as I moved towards the kitchen. My heart was pounding as I did not know what to expect. When I a
CHAPTER FIVE Emily POV"How is this possible? You can't be making calls from prison." I replied, still in disbelief."This cannot be possible. How are you receiving a call from the prison?" I asked, still trying to make sense of the whole thing."Because I am Dominic Moreno, I can do anything I want." He boasted. "I will suggest that you seal your lips or you can be rest assured that Erick will take care of you." His voice was threatening. I looked up at Erick and he raised his shirt, revealing a gun underneath his trousers, causing me to get even more scared."Why are you doing this?" I asked."I am not going to hurt you, Emily, I just want to see you again. I am hoping to see you soon?” I tried to speak, but he cut the phone."He wants me to see him," I revealed this to Erick, who shrugged his shoulders."Whatever the boss wants, he gets." He said with a shrug. "No, your boss is a problem to the city, a hard criminal who thinks he can get away with everything and I am going to
Emily POV By the time I woke up from my sleep, I looked around realizing I was in an entirely different environment. The room was built on luxury and I could tell from the king-size bed I laid upon and the marble floor. Slowly my head is flooded with memories of all that had happened. My last moment with Dominic and how he had abducted me, after an invasion into his private cell. I got out of bed and walked out of the room, the long hallway which had several rooms side by side, didn't sit well with me because I wanted to speak to someone...anyone to say the least. While walking through the hallway, my ear perked up at the sound of laughter coming from a far corner of the hallway. I instinctively turned towards the path, where the voices were coming from. "You are still the same rusty gangster." Dominic's voice caught my attention by the time I reached the door, where the laughter was coming from. "I am so glad that you took the time off at the cell, it appears it must
DOMINIC'S POV Victor pulled me aside after I was done talking to everybody with a serious expression on his face. “You need to talk to Emily.” He said simply. I let out a shaky breath as I ran my fingers through my hair. “I can't talk to her right now, Victor. She's counting on me for something that I can't give her right now and that I'd comfort. I'm a mess. My daughter is in the hands of my enemy and all I can think about is that I need to save her so I don't lose her.” “She's not asking you for comfort, Dominic. She just wants you to know that you are both in this together. If anything, she wants to comfort you. You can't let this whole thing tear you apart, that's how Damien will win.” I didn't respond. I knew he was right, but right now I could not give her what she was asking. I needed to handle this on my own. It was better she stayed away from the entire case. I could not handle emotions right now, it was for the best. I was about to respond when Lorenzo rushed bac
SOFIA'S POV I woke up covered in sweat, my wrist hurt from where they were bound. My mouth hurt from the gag and every single inch of my body hurt. The room was dark and damp and the smell of blood hung in the air. My head throbbed from when they'd delivered a blow to my head when I had tried to resist them. I had no idea how long I'd been out, but judging by how much my body hurt and the dried-up blood on Anita's head, I knew it had been a while. Anita was beside me; she was not moving, but I could hear her shallow breathing—thank God. Daniella was on my other side, she was bruised and very weak, but she still had a look of determination that I envied. I was just glad that we were all alive… for now. Slow and deliberate footsteps approached the space where we were kept. I winced as the door cracked open, casting light into the dark room. A man walked into the room. I gasped. He looked just like Dominic, just a bit older. He was put together, wore an expensive suit and everythi
EMILY’S POV I felt like I could not breathe as I paced up and down the length of my room. Dominic had left hours ago without so much as a word to me. I had not heard anything from them about the situation over there. I tried to call Dominic but he wasn't answering. I hated not knowing, I hated that this was happening. We'd don't everything to make sure that Damien did not find out about where they were. Everything to protect their location, but nothing has worked. Damien had still been able to get his hands on them. I imagined Anita and Daniella, terrified and Sofia too. It was ironic that the last time this had happened, it was Sofia's father who had taken them. Finally, unable to take the lack of information anymore, I called Victor. He answered immediately and I was relieved, but it also meant that Dominic was deliberately avoiding talking to me, which made me feel alone. “Emily?” “Hey, Victor. How are things over there?” There was a pause at the end of the line before
DOMINIC'S POV We got to Sydney at dawn. The air was thick with heat and tension as we drove through the street to my estate. When we got there, the place looked normal from the outside. I felt like I'd not been there in forever. The gate was still intact, so I knew that they didn't force themselves into the property. The cameras in front of the gate were still blinking rapidly. They had not been tampered with. All five of us—myself, Dino, Victor, Barry, and Ezra—walked into the house to inspect it. Lorenzo greeted us at the entrance, and he could not look me in the eye. That was good. I left him in charge, trusted him to take care of the girls, and he'd disappointed me. Even though I knew it wasn't really his fault. Damien and his men had bested him, but I needed someone to blame. “Walk us through what happened,” Victor told Lorenzo as we walked through the house. I'd asked that nothing be touched or cleaned until I came. I wanted to see everything for myself. “They came in s
EMILY’S POV “How did that even happen? The house is supposed to be very secure, and how did he even find out where they were?” The questions rushed out of me before I could stop them. The tears were flowing freely from my eyes, and I felt shattered. I'd spoken to Anita only some hours ago, and she sounded okay. She told me everything was fine. How could that have changed in only a short period? “I know as much as you do, Emily. I'm waiting for feedback from Lorenzo. I might have to make the trip down there.” Dominic said, sitting in the corner. Beside him were Victor, Barry, and Ezra, who were trying to console the both of us. “I'm going with you,” I told him. “You are not going with me.” He said quietly, shaking his head. “But—” I started to say, but he cut me off. “My decision has been made, and that is final. I am leaving before noon today, and you will stay here. I can't risk anything happening to you either.” He told me strongly. His tone left no room for argument, bu
DOMINIC'S POV The silence in the room was very heavy. The only sound in the room was of Emily clicking away on the laptop. She was so engrossed in the work, in trying to find anything that would help us take Crowley and Damien back. She spent the whole day on the encrypted server. “I can't really find anything more on him,” Emily said frustration filling her voice. I put my hand over hers and soothed my thumb over it. “Don't be too hard on yourself. Just take a break, and we can continue later. It's already getting dark. I think we should take a shower and sleep.” I told her. With a resolved sigh, she nodded her head, and I helped her up with my good arm. The pain from my injury was still very bad, but Emily disinfected it every night and dressed it. It was beginning to heal, but not as fast, and I could like it. Damien could strike at any time, and I needed to be ready. I could not do that with an injured shoulder. I hoped they would hold up any future attacks until I was
EMILY’S POV Dominic sat on the bed, still looking at the file. His jaw was clenched and I could see the calculating fury in his eyes. The way he went quiet when he was angry would be terrifyingly for somebody else, but not for me. It looked like a storm was brewing on the surface, and it was about to erupt and cause destruction. “This changes everything.” He told me, not looking away from the screen. He began to rub his temples with his good hand and I could tell that he was getting stressed. I moved to stand behind him, and I began to rub his back softly, which seemed to reduce the tension in his body. “We were focusing so much on Damien.” He said. “Trying to take him down, but all this while we were chasing the shadows. Damien is my brother; that much is true, and I think Crowley found that out and used what my father did to get in his head.” I nodded, releasing a slow breath and coming to sit beside him. “And if what the files say is true—and I believe it is, then we hav
EMILY’S POV I woke up feeling very groggy and sour from the night before. I reached out instinctively, my hand brushing against the side of his bed that was still warm. He wasn't in bed with me. I sat up straight, wincing at the dull ache between my legs. My mind went back to last night. It had been very intense and wonderful. Dominic moved in and out of me with animalistic strengths. He had an injured shoulder, but even that had not been able to stop him. Then he pulled me into his arms afterwards and whispered sweet words into my ears till I fell asleep. I ran my fingers through my hair, which was in a tangled mess. I wrapped the sheets tight around my body and walked to the window. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was shining, the sky was clear, the birds chirping in the trees. I couldn't help but feel a moment of happiness. But that feeling didn't last long when I remembered that danger was lurking in the shadows. Steven Crowley. A chill ran down my spine at the thoug
DOMINIC'S POV His Jaws were clenched as I spoke. I could see the obvious irritation on his face, but he was trying his best to conceal it. “Yes, sir.” “You've been my right-hand man for over ten years, and I am impressed with your work, and I've never had any reason to question your loyalty to me,” I told him. His features softened, and he looked happy with my approval, I could tell by the way his body relaxed. “Thank you, sir. It is a pleasure to work with you.” “I will be stepping away from my position for some time once this is over. I'm not getting any younger, and I need to work on building my family and producing an heir.” He turned to look at me like I'd slapped him across the face. “But things don't work that way, Dominic. Who will be in charge once you leave?” “You,” I said simply, and he looked like he was taken aback by this. “What?” He asked, his voice shaking. I've known Barry for a long time and it often took a lot to surprise him. He'd been through har