πππππLAYLAMato relaxed in his seat, and I let out the breath I was holding. My heart was beating so fast that the sound echoed in my head. The fear I'd been walking around with for the last few months was starting to carve me open from the inside out. I stared down at the vein in my arm. What they did to me, and what they were forcing me to do now was beyond cruel. Because of them, I had no choice. Because of them, I stood on the brink of losing everything. And once the day came when they had no more use for me, I knew in my heart I would never get back what they took from me. I had been sucked in too deep. It was like Daniel said, once you were a part of this world, there was no getting out of it. But I had no choice, and I prayed to God that when the end came, everyone, I cared about would know the truthβ¦especially him. Daniel. The man I would end up deceiving the most. I stiffened when I felt Mato's fingertips against my back. "I was thinking, since you did so well tonig
ππππππ DANIEL I yanked the bastard's face. "What the fuck are you talking about?" I howled, but he was already starting to lose consciousness. "Talk, you piece of shit!" Lucio took that as his cue and pulled out his gun, pressing the muzzle against the guy's temple. The guy just smiled. "They want to ruin you. They want to destroy your family." He dragged out his words, his eyes closing, his face drained of color. "It was supposed to start with herβ¦ your sister." "Vanessa," I whispered. His tongue lapped over his dry, chapped lips. "But we all know how that turned out." He took a long breath. "But now, you're next." I let go of his face and straightened, my heart pounding as I tried to make sense of it all. His eyes fluttered open and he stared up at me. "She's so pretty. I can see why she has you all fucked up." "You're talking about Layla?" Again, the corners of his mouth turned into a smileβa freaky as fuck dreamy smile. "Ah... Layla. A pretty name for a pre
ππππππ DANIEL Lucio sat up in the passenger seat. "Check out the SUV." I looked out and saw a black SUV parked in front of Kat's house. In silence β and anticipation β I waited to see who was in the car. First, a man dressed in a suit got out from the passenger side. He looked left and right, up and down the road twice before opening the back door to the SUV. True as fuck, there she was, getting out of the car. "That her?" I nodded. "Lucio Bologna, meet Layla Moore." She wore a dark brown coat to ward off the early autumn cold. Big, round, dark sunglasses covered most of her upper face as if she was trying to hide. Within a few short strides, Layla was up the stairs and knocking at her sister's door with a man standing behind her. Three men stayed behind, one guarding the vehicle, the other two standing at the bottom of the stairs. "Why all the muscle?" Lucio shifted in his seat. "He's protecting her." "From what?" "Me."I continued to watch as Kat opened
πππππLAYLA I was mute. I couldn't say a thing. I couldn't tell him and it killed me. After what felt like forever, Daniel broke the silence with an even deeper growl. "The one thing I do understand is if we don't leave right now, a whole lot of shit is going to come raining down all around us within the next few minutes." From the corner of my eye, I saw a man helping Kat up from the floor, and he glanced our way. "Daniel, bro, we need to leave, pronto." Daniel pulled me to my feet. "Layla, I know something is going on. Mato is using you to get to me somehow, but you need to trust me. You need to trust that whatever it is Mato has over you, I can help you." With every heartbeat and every breath, I wanted to believe I could trust in Daniel. That I could share my burden with him and not feel so damn alone. But deep down I knew I was in too deep, too far gone for anyone to help me now. I jerked my arm free from his grip. "You can't help me. No one can." Kat stood next t
πππππLAYLA(Flashback Continues)I gave Kat a peck on the cheek. "Okay, then. It's time for me to go pimp myself and make new friends." Kat laughed, and I smiled. "Love you." "Love you too." I shoved one of the unpacked boxes out of the way and against the wall as I walked out the front door. We'd only moved in three days ago, and both Kat and I were slow unpackers. As I stepped outside, I glanced up and down the road. It wasn't exactly one of the richest neighborhoods, but at least it wasn't one of the worst. I placed the earphones in my ears and pressed play on my phone. It was a way to make the other kids think I didn't give a shit β that I was too preoccupied with listening to the latest top forty hits to even realize I knew no one. I pulled my backpack over my shoulders, took a deep breath, and mentally told myself this day would be a piece of cake, and that I'd have a ton of friends before the end of the week. Yes, it sucked being new. But at least no one knew the bag
πππππLAYLAI sucked in a breath when we arrived at the large, black iron gates of the Bologna estate. Everything still looked exactly the same. Nothing had changed. The only difference was the last time I saw this place the gardens were painted with a rainbow of colors, spring in full bloom. Now the gardens were covered with all the shades of autumn, the men working in the gardens raking the dead leaves together. We came to a stop, and I stared out the window. Daniel shifted next to me. "You okay?" "I didn't think I'd ever see this place again." I felt his fingertips softly brushing against my shoulder. "He can't hurt you here, Layla." "You have it so wrong." I turned to look at him, my heart breaking more and more. "It's not me I'm worried about him hurting, Daniel." "Then who? Me? I'm a big boy, Layla. I can take care of myself." I shook my head, a single tear slipping down my cheek. "It's notβ" Daniel's door was flung open, two hands grabbing his collar and yanking hi
ππππππ DANIEL I stared at Layla like a man obsessed. Even if she tried, she'd never be able to measure the depth of my hurt... and love for her. But I was going to tell her. Show her. And make damn sure she feels it all. With a gentle tug, I pulled her closer. "You didn't just hurt me. You fucking destroyed me. What you left behind was something much worse than mere scars, Layla." I stepped forward, leaving no space between us. "Ever since you left, I tried to forget about you. To get over you. But guess what?" I softly brushed my knuckles down the side of her face. "I'm still not."A rush of air escaped her, the warmth of her breath wafting across my lips. I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to tear her clothes off and remind her of what we shared with every thrust of my cock. But we had Daddy Dearest to face first. And God knew, my dad was probably on the verge of bursting an arteryβhe and Antonio both."Come on."With slow steps, she followed me. Now and then I glanced her way.
πππππLAYLAI closed the bathroom door and sagged back against it. My heart was racing, my body humming, primed, and ready to be taken by the one man who had always owned my heart. God, I was so weak when it came to him, unable to resist the seduction that clung to him like a second skin. My body betrayed me every fucking time I was near him. With a deep breath, I pushed myself away from the door. It was only when I passed the mirror on my way to the shower that I saw how filthy I looked, with patches of dried blood all over my clothes, my skin, and my hair. I'd never seen a man die before, let alone be killed with a bullet to the brain. Just thinking about that exact moment made me shudder. I wiped at a tiny patch of blood on the side of my face. There were dark circles under my eyes, my cheekbones more pronounced than they ever were. My hair was a knotted mess. I was a complete mess. I was wasting away, little by little. This was not how I envisioned my life. And this was not
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