πππππ JAMESI always knew demons haunted Roman Anderson; I just never knew how strong those demons were. But now, I did. "You see, Gunner. No one is perfect, but some bad guys are worth freer than behind bars." He turned toward Enzo's lifeless body, and the priest crouched and shook it. He didn't have to do that. I was sure that fucker was dead. "I'll take care of this," he said and I released the breath I didn't know I was holding. Vanessa ran toward her dad and jumped into his arms. "Daddy, I know I don't always say this, and I know I don't always show you how much, but you must know that I love you, Daddy." Dante gave his daughter a heartwarming hug, his eyes filled with raw emotions as he replied, "And I love you too, Bambina. I know I don't always show it and tell it too, and I am sorry it made you feel my honor was worth more than your happiness. So I want you to get this into your thick skull. I. Love. You. You are my only Bambina and no one will ever love you more t
πππππππVANESSAI lifted myself on my toes, my taste buds tingling with the need to taste his mouth. My body was already primed to take him, to let him remind me. With his arms around me, he pulled me against his chest, causing me to clench my thighs for some relief from the ache he so expertly ignited. God, this man knew how to test the limits of my self-control. He knew it was probably the most difficult thing for me to do, not always act on my desire and need for him. To start humping each other in the store or on your way to see a damn movie could get you arrested. But right here, right now, I was willing to risk it since my body was screaming at me to give it the release and the ecstasy only James could provide. "Ahem." I froze and glanced over James' shoulder. "Antonio." James dropped his hold around my waist, and I took a step back. "Did I interrupt anything?" "Noβ" "Yes," James sneered. "Antonio, how many times do I have to tell you, you have to work on your
πππππ My decision to become a part of the Bologna family didn't mean I was blinded to all the questionable businesses they ran, but it meant my eyes had opened to all the good they had brought to the people of Boston over the years. The Bologna took care of the people who needed it the most and brought justice to those who deserved it. Everything they did, they did for the greater good, and I was willing to live with thatβto be a part of it. I rubbed the finger Dante had pricked earlier. Watching my blood drip on a card bearing the image of St. Francis while Dante said, "This drop of blood symbolizes your birth into our family. We are one until death," then witnessing him setting that card on fire was powerful shit. I'd heard about the mafia initiation, and I always found the notion of it absurd and creepy. But while I stood there watching the card with my blood burn into nothing but ash, solidifying my place in their family, it gave me a strong sense of belonging. By doing
Daniel FOUR MONTHS LATER I needed a new ceiling design. The circles and swirls were making me dizzy. Or maybe it was my brain telling me to fucking sleep. I'd been lying there for two hours staring at the ceiling, listening to the rhythmic breathing next to me. It was them, the womenβthe sex that made it impossible for me to sleep. A few hours ago, the three of us were fucking like savages, the black silk sheets covered in sweat. Big round tits, curvy asses, and tight pussies entertained me all night long. One would think I would be exhausted enough to at least get a good night's sleep. But no. Not me. Not since my mind always wandered into the past after I indulged in some good old-fashioned fuckery. The irony of it allβthe only time I was able to forget the past was when I found myself balls deep inside pussy. Other than that, the memories clung to me like a disease, and all the unanswered questions mind-fucked me every goddamn day. I took a deep breath and tried to steer my
ππππππ DANIEL It wasn't even six in the morning, and yet, as I walked out of my room, I walked right into Antonio as he passed down the hall. I cocked a brow. "I see you're still roaming the halls like a fucking vampire." Antonio crossed his arms. "I was rudely awakened by multiple footsteps and realized it was guests trying to quietly slip out of the house. Twins. Know anything about it?" I palmed my cock and adjusted my pants with a smile. "Nope. I'm afraid not, big brother." "Uh-huh. Remind me to check with security, then. Someone is obviously not doing their job." "Speaking about security," I fell into step next to him, "I need my phone checked. I've been getting weird phone calls." "Weird phone calls?" "Yeah. Whoever is phoning me keeps hanging up whenever I answer." Antonio stopped and turned to face me. "Prank calls?" "I don't know." "Get James on it." "Get me on what?" Antonio and I both turned and saw James sauntering toward us. I scoffed. "J
ππππππ DANIEL I gave a heavy sigh and turned towards James. "There's not much to tell. It's just random phone calls. When I answer, the person hangs up." James raised an eyebrow. "How long has this been going on?" "It started a few weeks ago." "I'll try to get a trace on it." James stood, and as he passed by my chair, he paused. "You know why your sister is tired, right?" "Jesus," I moaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Yes, James. I know." He leaned down next to me. "Do you know what it means to have a magic cock?" And then I elbowed him in the gut, causing him to grunt. "Fucker," he mumbled, and I smiled as he walked out of the room. I had no idea why, but I found his ass amusing, which was why I liked having the little shit around the house. Plus, it seemed like he could make my sister happy, which was a big thing for me. At least one of us Bologna siblings was happy.***** A FEW HOURS LATER "We are having a bachelor party." I placed my hands on my hi
ππππππ DANIEL "Iβ¦I don't know." I couldn't breathe so I clutched the phone tighter in my palm. "I think it was her." Vanessa walked up to me. "Are you sure?" "No. No, I'm not sure." James held his hands in the air. "Can someone please tell me who the fuck is Layla?" Vanessa and I stared at each other, her dark brown eyes filled with sympathy. My little sister knew the pain I had lived with, the broken heart I had carried in my chest for years. There was a saying that only time could heal a broken heart. Well, I called bullshit. My heart was anything but healed. It was the bitter, broken pieces left behind, pulsing behind my ribs, that fueled the heartless bastard in me to fuck for nothing but pleasure. Vanessa stepped closer. "Danielβ" I held up my hand and turned to James. "I need you to get these phone calls traced." He crossed his arms. "Okay, but will you tell me who the fuck is Layla?" I took a deep breath, the mere thought of talking about her choking me.
ππππππ DANIEL I took a deep breath after swallowing my second glass of bourbon. The memories felt like daggers piercing the flesh of my heart over and over again. I hated that they still held so much power over me. After all the time that had passed, the memories still tortured me. She still tortured me. "It's a little early for a drink, don't you think?" I looked up at Antonio, who took a seat across from me by the bar. "You want one?" "Fuck, yes." I snorted and poured my brother a drink while refilling mine. That was another thing I hated about all this β everyone knew. Everyone knew who Layla was to me, and what it did to me when she left and it was all my fault. For months after, I was nothing but a walking corpse who lived on alcohol. A shell of myself. I spent my days either drunk, hungover, or thoroughly fucked. Sex numbed the pain. It still did. And the more, the merrier. Gang banging and orgies while drinking myself into a stupor were the only goal I had for
ππππππ DANIEL Antonio took a seat beside me, his eyes fixed on Luca chasing the birds. "You two have been spending a lot of time here lately." "Yeah. Luca loves the garden." Antonio placed his hand on the bench and then glanced around. "I love what you did with it. You know," he waved around, "the whole re-doing of the back garden." I snorted. "Re-doing?" "You know what I mean." "Yeah, well. You should thank our little sister for that. She did all this." "Our sister will make a good mother someday." "She sure will." Vanessa was a godsend through all this. Luca had immediately taken to her, and even though she couldn't fully take his mother's place, she had done a fine job being a substitute while he adapted to his new surroundings. New family. "How is he doing?" Antonio asked while watching Luca play. I leaned forward with my elbows on my knees. "He misses her." "That's to be expected." "I just wish I knew how long it was going to take." Antonio placed his hand on
ππππππ DANIEL "Dad!" Antonio yelled. "Dad, no!"Thunder. Lightning. Gunshots. Mayhem.All I could do was watch as my father let out his last breath, life being ripped out of him within a single moment. And then I howled. I fucking cried out as reality slowly started to infuse me with the excruciating pain of watching my father die. This was not how it was supposed to go down. My father dying was not part of the fucking plan. I was the one ready to die for the people I loved. I wasn't ready for anyone else to die except the fuckers who thought they had the power to play God with all our lives.I looked up, sound starting to return, the chaos and mayhem pulling me back to the here and now. And then I saw her. Layla. Her limp body was being dragged by the man who is about to die by my hand."Mato!" I roared, and then I was on my feet, running toward them.He struggled to get Layla in the car, and when he aimed his gun in my direction, it was too late. I was already there, knockin
ππππππ DANIEL The sound of an approaching car momentarily grabbed my attention, and I bit down on my cheeks as I watched it near us. Even though my attention was on the car, I was hyperaware of every man currently taking part in this standoff.Stefano righted himself and straightened the sleeves of his jacket. "It seems you're having difficulty accepting that Layla has moved on with my son. Maybe he can convince you."The car stopped, and my heart beat wildly inside my chest as I watched Mato get out. If hate had a moment in time, this would be it.The sight of his ugly motherfucking face made me want to rip out his goddamn spine through his throat. It took every shred of self-control not to end him right there and then.My hand itched, the weight of my gun at my back making me aware of how much I wanted to put a bullet in his skull. And the smug grin he had on his face as he got out of the car made the urge to kill him even stronger.Matteo inhaled deeply. "Ah. There's nothin
ππππππ DANIEL Harbawo wasn't a place I visited often. One thing my grandfather used to say was you never shit where you ate. Something the Morellos had no idea about. They still had a lot to learn.Our shipments never came through Harbawo Harbor. In fact, we never used the same port twice in a row. It was always scattered around. Different ports. Different shipping lines. Different times of day or night. And different routes.We'd never claimed to be saints. To some people, there was no such thing as a big or small sin. Wrong was wrong. But in my opinionβ¦ who in the name of ever-loving fuck thought that way? How could one argue there was no scale when it came to wrongdoing? That was like saying a rapist had done equal wrong as the man who cheated on his wife. Bullshit. No matter who said what, I believed sin could be measured. And it was because of this I knew the Morellos were far higher on the wrongdoing scale than we were.Yes, we bought illegal firearms.Yes, we sold illeg
πππππLAYLAI watched as Mato's smug grin turned arrogant. "See, I helped you, and I was smart about it too.""What did you pay him?" I glared at him. "What did you pay my father to write that fucking letter?"He cocked his head, his gaze sweeping from my neck, to my lips, to my eyes. "I paid him more than he would make in two lifetimes." He licked his lips. "And it was worth every cent because now you're mine. Mine to take care of, and mine to defile."Bile crept up my throat, and my chest burned with equal parts disgust and craving. "All you know how to do is destroy lives.""Sometimes the strong need to eliminate the weak to thrive."I almost laughed in his face. "Strong? Do you think you're strong? What, by turning an innocent woman into an addict? By taking her son away from her? Are those the actions of a strong man? An honorable man?"The corners of his lips twitched, a malicious sneer forming on his ugly motherfucking face. "Who said anything about honorable?"Disgust fil
πππππLAYLAMato and I sat silently as we drove to the Morellos mansion. The very thought that I was going back to that hell hole made me feel sick to my stomach.For the last three months, I had been held there against my will. None of this was my decision. I didn't want any of this. But my forced addiction hadn't given me any choice. Mato had dangled that needle in front of my face like a goddamn red cloth to a bull. And by the victorious smirk plastered on his face the entire time, he knew he had the upper hand."You knew I was with him." I didn't look at him."I did.""Why didn't you come for me?"He huffed out a laugh. "Oh, my dear Layla. I knew you'd come back." He removed a pouch from his jacket pocket. "I have what you need."My heart pounded against my ribs, every vein in my body swelling, craving, burning with the need for the toxin. I licked my lips as I stared at the pouch, sweat trickling down my back. The painful stomach spasms intensified, and anxiety made it incre
ππππππ DANIELMy heart was in my throat as Antonio swallowed as if the words were struggling to come out. "While he held herβ¦""Well?" I was growing impatient. "Spit it out!" "While Mato held herβ¦ he got her addicted to heroin." I thought my heart had stopped before, but I was wrong. Now I knew what it meant to have a heart eruption. I could feel the blast through every fiber of my being. "I don't understand," I whispered. My voice sounded broken. Kat stood. "My sister is now an addict, Daniel. He forced her to take the drugs so he could control her." For a few seconds, I allowed the words to sink in. I allowed it to settle in the pit of my stomach, to stew with the rage I had been feeling all morning. And then I grabbed the first thing I could find, a glass decanter, and threw it against the wall. The sound of my scream together with the shattering glass hit the roof with excruciating resonance. "Daniel, you need to calm down." I shot a warning glare at my brother. "Do n
ππππππ DANIEL My heart almost stopped at my father's words. "Is Layla hurt?""No. No, it's not like that."I scowled. "Then what?"The old man stopped and looked up at the roof. "Your brother and Lucio had a run-in with some of the Morellos men." He turned to face me. "It didn't end so well.""Meaning it turned into a bloodbath." It wasn't a question. When things didn't end well, it usually meant someone died. "Antonio and Lucio okay?""Yes. They're fine."Nothing about his demeanor gave me the impression that everyone was fine. The grim look on his face, the way his shoulders were slumped forward said to me that I wasn't going to like the next part of this fucking story."What happened?"He took a deep breath. "I think it best you wait for Antonio to get here."What theβ¦? "Are you telling me Antonio is on his way back here? Jesus Christ, the fucker has balls, I'll give him that." I stormed to the bedroom door. "He better has Layla with him if he wants to live to see another d
πππππLAYLAAntonio scoffed at my words before replying, "As my brother said the other day, we've been at war with the Morellos for years now." I turned in my seat, determined to get my point across. "If I don't go back, Mato won't stop until he's destroyed everyone I love." "But this isn't about you, Layla. It's about Daniel. About us. It's never been about you. You are just a pawn he's using to put our family in checkmate. It's Daniel they want to destroy. It's our family they want to wipe out. Even if you go back and give your life in order to stop all of this, it won't. It will never stop." "I know this war between you and the Morellos will probably never end, but I will no longer be used as a weapon to torture Daniel. You and I both know that Daniel will put himself in harm's way as long as Mato has me. Your brother will never stop, and I've been the cause of Daniel's pain for too long." I shook my head as tears welled up. "No more. No more, Antonio. I can't do it anymore