Nial.The warehouse smelled like blood.It clung to the concrete, soaked into the rusted metal, crept into the cracks in the walls. It was inescapable, thick and suffocating, and yet, I breathed it in without flinching. Sokolov had been here for two days. Two days since weâd dragged his broken body into this room, tied him up, and left him at the mercy of Sofiaâs brothers.Two days, and he was still alive.Disappointing.I stood near the entrance, my fingers wrapped around the hilt of my knife, watching as Valentino worked. He had always been the worst of the four when it came to things like thisâwhere Luca was calculated, Renzo was efficient, and Aurelio was ruthless, Valentino enjoyed it. There was no cold detachment in his actions, no professional distance. He liked the suffering, liked the way men broke apart under his hands.And Sokolov was breaking.The Russian was barely recognizable. His face was swollen, split open in more places than I could count, one of his eyes too damage
Authorâs POV.The night smelled like death.Gunfire cracked through the air, cutting through the darkness like a jagged blade. The warehouse was an inferno of noiseâbullets tearing through metal, shattering glass, bodies hitting the concrete. The scent of blood, gunpowder, and sweat clung to the air, thick enough to choke on.They had walked into a trap.Nadei knew it the second they stepped inside. The way the shadows shifted wrong, the unnatural stillness before the first shot rang outâthis wasnât just another hunt.This was an ambush.Sokolov fucked them over."Cover!" Nikolaiâs voice was sharp, cutting through the chaos as he dove behind a stack of crates, returning fire.The enemy was everywhere, moving like wraiths between the rusted machinery and stacks of abandoned shipments. The dim industrial lighting cast long, distorted shadows, turning the battlefield into a hellscape of flickering shapes and shifting figures."Where the fuck are they coming from?" Renzo snarled, ducking
Authorâs POV.The car was a coffin on wheels.Blood slicked the seats, thick in the airâiron-heavy and suffocating. Aurelio was slumped between Nadei and Renzo, his body unnaturally limp, his skin so pale it looked like wax. His chest barely moved, each breath a shallow, ragged fight. The bullet woundsâone in his side, the other in his chestâkept pouring, no matter how hard they pressed down.Luca was driving like a madman, tires screeching as he weaved through the streets. Nikolai was in the passenger seat, turned around, his hands pressing over one of the wounds with brutal force. It wasnât enough."Fuck! He's losing too much!" Nadei snarled, his voice raw, desperate. His hands were drenched in Aurelioâs blood, his grip unrelenting. "Where the fuck are the doctors?"âWeâre almost there,â Luca gritted out, but the panic in his voice betrayed him. He was flying through red lights, pushing the engine to its limits, but it wasnât enough.Nothing was going to be enough.Aurelio coughed,
Welcome, I just needed to clarify a few things before you start reading to avoid any discomfort or disturbing content.This book will contain the following topics. Beware and skip any part that you don't feel comfortable reading. I don't like leaving warnings in the start of every chapter I write because it ruins all the fun in knowing what you'll read, so, just make sure to skip whatever you don't feel comfortable reading.[HIGHLY DESCRIPTIVE MATURE SEXUAL CONTENT: DEGRADATION/PRAISING/CHOKING AND VARIOUS KINKS][STRONG USE OF MATURE LANGUAGE/ SWEARING][MENTION OF ASSAULT/ABUSE/RAPE][MENTION OF ATTEMPTED SUICIDE][GORY SCENERY]And please, for the billionth time, know that this is my first book ever and that English is not my first language, so, if you find grammatical mistakes please point them out and try to be kind about it. I'm not a professional writer but I'm really trying to be better._Sofia.12:00 PM"Love you!"I closed the door behind me, feverently waving at Carter with
Sofia.After, I had successfully brought him in as in dragged the stranger to my home and put him on the fairly small couch that can barely contain his bulking and muscly frame. I ran to my bathroom to retrieve the first aid kit to see to his wounds. My hands shook as the familiar scent of the crimson liquid tainted and stuck to my hands and clothes from having too much contact with the injured male.The feel of blood on my hands was triggering but I needed to help the green eyed spicemen heal in any way that I could.Slowly taking his tattered, dirty, bloody suit jacket off and his no longer white shirt, I began attending to the small cuts on his abdomen, chest, and arms and stitching up the deep gash on his torso. It bled so much and it freaked me out but I somehow managed to disinfect and stitch it up to have it finally warped in a thick layer of gauze.I worked in silence and tried to shut down my racing mind as it started to conjure dangerous thoughts and doubts considering the s
Sofia."Angel," he rasped out making my eyes widen, reaching behind me to grab the glass of water from the tray.I took my hand off of his warm cheek and heard him growl lowly.The sudden action made me almost throw the glass of water at him, but luckily he grabbed it and gulped it down. Impressed with his quick reflexes, my brain stuttered. Did he just....actually growl?"Want more w-water?" I asked him softly taking the glass from his hand and helping him into a sitting position, hoping that it was more comfortable.He looked over at me for a few seconds with unknown emotions swirling in his eyes then replied with a husky 'yes' and I obliged getting him more water to gulf down."Y-you need to have some food, you must be h-hungry and if you don't like what I had made, then, I'll make you something else-" he quickly interrupted my awkward word vomit, saying that he'd have whatever I made him, which made me blush again.I averted my eyes away from his beautiful jade ones that shone with
Author's POV.They hated the way this had to be done but reluctantly decided to take Sofia with them. Nikolai and Nial had arrived at her cabin an hour ago, finding Nadei in a dazed state as he gazed down at her.Their eyes widening, mouths gaping like fish out of the water, hearts almost jumping out of their chests. The two brothers inspected the small girl noticing everything and nothing about her.She was...perfect. They couldn't get over her beauty and kindness as Nadei was more than happy to tell them about how sweet she was while helping him. And they noted the change in his face as he talked about her like he had known her for years, the life in his eyes had finally returned and she was the cause of it.The pretty little angel was the reason why their older brother was smiling and they wanted that too.However, the hopefullness was overshadowed by the huge amount of guilt gnawing at their hearts. The only thing on their mind was how Sofia was going react at their selfish act of
Sofia."Language, little girl!" Was the first thing that came out of Nadei's mouth when he regained his cool to what I had said.I flinched seeing his seething form approaching my slightly trembling body on the bed to grip my hand in a powerful hold, discarding how I struggled to not break into hysterical tears.The other two stood winced at the aghast look on my paling face.Pulling me from the headboard that I was backed against to stand in front of their towering frames that seemed, even more intimidating at this closeness.I shook my head at Nadei's unwavering grip and slowly pulled my wrist away. I couldn't help but want to hope for the ground to open up and swallow me whole. So, I only lowered my eyes to the ground and attempted to avoid looking at him- them.I never liked having eye contact with others because it made me feel awkward and shy. And this was even worse. So much worse."Look at me," the still unknown man with the pretty brown eyes, softly, stated. "Look at me, Darli
Authorâs POV.The car was a coffin on wheels.Blood slicked the seats, thick in the airâiron-heavy and suffocating. Aurelio was slumped between Nadei and Renzo, his body unnaturally limp, his skin so pale it looked like wax. His chest barely moved, each breath a shallow, ragged fight. The bullet woundsâone in his side, the other in his chestâkept pouring, no matter how hard they pressed down.Luca was driving like a madman, tires screeching as he weaved through the streets. Nikolai was in the passenger seat, turned around, his hands pressing over one of the wounds with brutal force. It wasnât enough."Fuck! He's losing too much!" Nadei snarled, his voice raw, desperate. His hands were drenched in Aurelioâs blood, his grip unrelenting. "Where the fuck are the doctors?"âWeâre almost there,â Luca gritted out, but the panic in his voice betrayed him. He was flying through red lights, pushing the engine to its limits, but it wasnât enough.Nothing was going to be enough.Aurelio coughed,
Authorâs POV.The night smelled like death.Gunfire cracked through the air, cutting through the darkness like a jagged blade. The warehouse was an inferno of noiseâbullets tearing through metal, shattering glass, bodies hitting the concrete. The scent of blood, gunpowder, and sweat clung to the air, thick enough to choke on.They had walked into a trap.Nadei knew it the second they stepped inside. The way the shadows shifted wrong, the unnatural stillness before the first shot rang outâthis wasnât just another hunt.This was an ambush.Sokolov fucked them over."Cover!" Nikolaiâs voice was sharp, cutting through the chaos as he dove behind a stack of crates, returning fire.The enemy was everywhere, moving like wraiths between the rusted machinery and stacks of abandoned shipments. The dim industrial lighting cast long, distorted shadows, turning the battlefield into a hellscape of flickering shapes and shifting figures."Where the fuck are they coming from?" Renzo snarled, ducking
Nial.The warehouse smelled like blood.It clung to the concrete, soaked into the rusted metal, crept into the cracks in the walls. It was inescapable, thick and suffocating, and yet, I breathed it in without flinching. Sokolov had been here for two days. Two days since weâd dragged his broken body into this room, tied him up, and left him at the mercy of Sofiaâs brothers.Two days, and he was still alive.Disappointing.I stood near the entrance, my fingers wrapped around the hilt of my knife, watching as Valentino worked. He had always been the worst of the four when it came to things like thisâwhere Luca was calculated, Renzo was efficient, and Aurelio was ruthless, Valentino enjoyed it. There was no cold detachment in his actions, no professional distance. He liked the suffering, liked the way men broke apart under his hands.And Sokolov was breaking.The Russian was barely recognizable. His face was swollen, split open in more places than I could count, one of his eyes too damage
Nial.The house had never been this quiet before.Not since Sofia and the kids had come into our lives, filling every corner of our world with noise, warmth, and something we never knew we cravedâpeace. A twisted kind of peace, given our lives, but peace all the same. Now, standing in the dimly lit living room, the quiet felt suffocating. Like the silence before a storm but this time the storm was ragging inside of every single one of us.Jade was asleep upstairs, curled up in the mountain of stuffed dinousaurs Sofia kept buying him, despite his insistence that he was "too big" for them. Lorelai had dozed off hours ago, wrapped in Sofiaâs arms, while she ran her fingers throughour little girl's hair, murmuring soft lullabies in Italian. I had stayed just long enough to watch the way she melted into our children, her love for them so deep it left something aching in my chest.Then I had left, unable to shake the restlessness thrumming under my skin.My brothers were scattered throughou
Nikolai.It started small.A conversation here. A passing look there.At first, I thought it was my own exhaustion playing tricks on me. The last weeks had been heavy, slow in some ways, too fast in others. Six weeks since Arsen had nearly died. Six weeks since Sofia had looked us in the eyes and told us she wouldnât chooseâbecause she couldnât.And somehow, none of us had walked away. We never would.I had expected the distance between us and Arsen to stretch, for the resentment to fester even more, but thatâs not what happened.Instead, it was the quiet things.The way he stepped back when tempers ran high. The way he never inserted himself where he wasnât wanted but was always just there when it mattered.I noticed it first when Nial had come back from hunting one of Sokolov's consiglieres, stiff, a rare tension lining his shoulders. He didnât talk about itânot to us. Not to anybody. He just went straight to the back porch, standing in the cold, watching the night sky like he did w
Sofia.The air in the room was thick with unspoken words, heavy with the weight of a decision that could change everything. The dim light barely reached the corners of the space, casting long shadows against the walls, but none were as dark as the emotions brewing between me and the men standing behind me.The men who had built a life with me. Who had fought for me. Protected me.And now, I was asking them to make room for him.For Arsen.The man they had every reason to hate. The man I had every reason to hate. But I couldnât.Not after everything.I sat beside his bed, my fingers curled tightly around his hand, unwilling to let go. He was stable but still unconscious. The bandages covering his torso were proof of the fight he had barely survived, a reminder that I had nearly lost him before I even had the chance to face the truth.I loved him.And that truth wasnât something I could run from anymore.Behind me, my men were silent, but I could feel their presence like a physical weig
Sofia.The weight of the room pressed down on me, thick with unspoken words and unresolved tension. Arsenâs shallow breaths and the scent of antisepticâit all felt suffocating. But more than that, I felt the suffocation in my chest, in my heart. The space between us was growing larger by the second, and I was helpless to stop it.I could feel the heaviness of my thoughts, the constant battle inside me between the love I couldnât deny and the anger I couldnât quite bury. I wasnât sure what was worseâloving him or trying to pretend I didnât feel anything at all.But I had to face it. I loved Arsen. No matter how many times I tried to bury it, no matter how many walls I built around my heart, it was still there, pulsing, undeniable. And now, as I sat beside his hospital bed, watching him fight for his life, I couldnât pretend any longer.The door to the room creaked open, and I didnât need to look up to know who it was. Nadeiâs scent, the heavy weight of Nikolaiâs presence, the quiet foo
Sofia.Every breath I took felt like a struggle, as though I couldnât quite fill my lungs with enough air. The room felt smaller than it should have. The air thicker like a gloomy fog setting over me.I paced, walking back and forth along the hall, running my hands through my hair in frustration. The quiet had become unbearable. The silence that once felt like solace now felt like an invisible weight pushing down on me.I wasnât sure what I was waiting for, or what I even wanted to happen. But I knew I couldnât stay stillânot after Nikolaiâs words, not after everything I had seen, everything I had felt.The door to the room where Arsen lay was cracked open. I could see the dim light from the hallway spill inside, casting shadows across the floor, the walls, the bed where he lay. I had been avoiding it all night, but now, I couldnât stay away any longer.With slow, deliberate steps, I crossed the threshold and stepped inside.Arsen still looked like he was drifting between life and dea
Sofia.The safehouse was too quiet.Even with security outside, even with the occasional sound of footsteps in the halls, the silence felt wrong.It had always been like thisâa cold, calculated kind of quiet, designed for function, not comfort. The walls were thick, reinforced, soundproofed. No outside noise. No echo of the life that existed beyond these walls.I had stayed here once before. Years ago.Back then, silence had been a luxury. A moment to breathe.Now, it was suffocating.I moved through the dimly lit halls, my bare feet light against the marble. The scent of coffee lingered in the air, rich and bitter, but when I reached the kitchen, I found the pot empty. Someone had been here recently.I exhaled sharply and filled a glass of water from the sink, bringing it to my lips with slightly unsteady hands.âDrinking water instead of coffee? Thatâs new.âI didnât turn at the sound of Nikolaiâs voice. âYouâre one to talk.âThe chair scraped against the floor as he pulled it out,