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| Punishment
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2024-10-29 19:42:56πππππ
JAMESA month? A fucking month? "Are you serious? You want to take Bambi away from me?""Who the fuck is Bambi?"I tap against the gun at my side. "This sweet little thang right here.""Well, that sweet little thang is no longer yours. Bambi and badge on my desk in five."Goddammit."Way to go, dumbass," Larry sneered from the side.I wanted to smash his face in, but assaulting a fellow officer would be the final nail in my career coffin right now. Besides, I needed to act like a grownup, not letting insults get to me."I knew your brown ass wouldn't last around here."Ah, fuck. How was I supposed to act like the grownup now?"It's African, you fucking tit-head!" I launched myself forward and punched him in the face, hammering that last nail into my now-dead career. And since that career was already bolted shut with a fuck-load of nails, I punched the asshole again. Why? Because I fucking wanted to. It was like trashing the school with toilet paper. You didn't know why the fuck you did it. You just did it because it was fun.It took three other guys about twelve-point-three seconds to take my gun, and my badge, and haul my ass out of the station and onto the fucking pavement.Jesus Christ. Suspended for a month? How the fuck was I supposed to continue my investigation of the Bologna if I was nothing more than a damn civilian, unable to use all my detective perks to get the information I needed?I kicked at the ground beneath me and pulled my hands through my hair, feeling like I was about to burst a damn aneurysm in my brain. It was when I looked to the left that I saw the hard-on triggering ass get into a black Mercedes. Vanessa Bologna.She didn't know I'd just been suspended and tossed onto the curb like a loser. Vanessa didn't know I didn't have any right to keep tabs on her, or to harass her anymore - not that I did in the first place. But so not the point.If I had any chance of proving my suspicions about the Bologna were correct, and thus getting the commander and his damn suspension off my ass, I was going to have to go about this in a completely different way.I took out my phone and grinned as I slid my finger across the screen.Hell, at least I was going to have so much fun.****πππππππVANESSAMy heart was still beating frantically. And my skin still felt like it was on fire, all because of one arrogant, overly confident, egotistical male with devil eyes and a smirk that could melt panties everywhere. For the last half hour, I'd had a constant prickle of warning in the back of my head. Detective Gunner was a temptation I needed to stay clear of.I leaned back in the seat of the car and inhaled, counting to four, and then exhaled. Maybe if I did a few breathing exercises, my heartbeat would normalize.I tried it a few times, and it seemed like it was helping since I no longer felt the overwhelming urge to make a slut out of myself.It was about half an hour's drive back home, so I grabbed my phone, thinking it might be a good idea to interact a little with my one point two million followers.One thousand, two hundred and nineteen notifications in under forty minutes. How was that even possible? Did these people sit around waiting for public figures to update their status so they could comment and pokeβto their little heart's content?Were these people even aware there were things like world hunger and global warming? Things that were way more important than what I had for lunch, or what Kim Kardashian wore to the damn beach.I opened the F******k app and clicked on my notifications bar, marking all as read. If I replied to every comment made, I'd be here until next Tuesday.Just as I was about to close the app, I paused, wondering β¦Scrolling to my list of followers, I started typing in "Gunner." I had no idea what his first name was, but if he'd managed to get my latest status update back at the station, he must be following me.And, sure as shit, there he was... James Gunner. James. Such a mundane name for such an asshat. If it weren't for me recognizing that sinfully gorgeous face, I never would have guessed it was him.I knew I shouldn't. I really shouldn't, but I clicked on his profile anyway.As I scrolled down his timeline, I noticed there wasn't much going on, since his last status update was two months ago saying, "I'm drunk. That is all." That was so attractive.I rolled my eyes and went to the about section. He had Self-Employed listed as his job, which made me snort since I knew that was a crock of bull. But it did make sense he wouldn't go put Detective on something as public as F******k, especially when he was investigating my father.My stomach turned at the thought. Not that it was anything new. The police had been investigating my father for as long as I could remember, but they'd never managed to get any concrete evidence against him.My father was as intelligent as he was cunning. Hell, I was his daughter, and if it weren't for a conversation about the Vecna-Nosta which I just happened to hear between my parents ten years ago, I never would have suspected my father was a mafia boss. Back then, I didn't even know what that meant, or what it entailed. And when I heard my dad say the words "managing protection rackets," I knew it meant something bad. I was too young to understand back then, but not anymore. I knew exactly what it meant now and if I wasn't careful, it was going to be the end of me. Especially if Detective Gunner had anything to say about it.Related chapters
To Love A Bologna Β Β Β | To Gauge A Wolf
πππππππVANESSAAbout five years ago, the heat on my father and his activities was pretty intense. Until the Morellos moved in on what my dad called our territory. Then the heat got worse as the Morellos started wreaking havoc on the streets. I wasn't exactly sure what they did, but by the way, my dad and brothers always cursed whenever the subject of the Morellos came up, I'd say it was pretty bad shit.Still scrolling down James' page, I decided there wasn't much else to see or to stalk. So, I went back to my page, contemplating whether I should remove James Gunner as a follower. He was probably using it to keep tabs on me, watching me, waiting for me to slip up so he could get what he wantedβincriminating shit on my family. Plus, now he knew ninety per cent of my status updates were bullshit anyway. What if he called me out on it?While I stared at the screen, a notification popped up saying James Gunner commented on your post.Shit, shit, shit.I slid my finger across the s
To Love A Bologna Β Β Β | Frustrations
πππππJAMESI stepped into my apartment to meet it as neat and perfect as I left it. It was so motherfucking clean that if you wanted, you could sleep inside my toilet. If you took into consideration what my apartment looked like, you'd say I was a neat freak. My sister would die a slow and painful death if she saw this place because she knows she'll never be able to keep up.There were empty beer bottles neatly tucked in the corner of the living room. From where I stood, my kitchen looked as white as snow, all my utensils were shining as if a star had hit them or something. You couldn't find one microwavable plastic instant meal container anywhere in the kitchen sink, and empty cans of soda were nearly nonexistent around the house. Although I used them to quench my morning-after thirst, I made sure there were no traces of them on the counter.The way most people saw it, I was a detective, not a domesticated pansy. I should have much better things to do with my time than cleaning
To Love A Bologna Β Β Β | Discovery
πππππJAMESRoman stared at me for what felt like a million years. He looked apprehensive as if he was trying to gauge how the formation was going to affect me. After a few more seconds, I couldn't take it again. "Roman!" I grunted, sending him a scowl.Roman rolled his eyes and nodded his head. "Okay, okay, chill. Now answer me this, when did the Morello's move into town, Gunner?""Five years ago," I replied. And then I clicked. I suddenly understood where he was going with this. "But it doesn't fit into the timeframe of all the child disappearances," I reasoned. If what Roman Anderson was trying to tell me was true, then he would have to make it all fit in my head. If not, It was going to be pretty difficult for me to believe him. It wasn't my fault. That was just how detectives were wired.Roman lifted a brow, the corner of his mouth twitching. "If you're as smart as you think you are, you'll know it was about five years ago that drugs started to flow into these streets." He s
To Love A Bologna Β Β Β | Family
πππππππ VANESSA I stared at my phone and wondered if I should update my status and let the world know I was on my way to Daniel's birthday party at Bolivia nightclub. But that would be stupid. Plus, it would be a recipe for a stampede. If I were honest with myself, I'd admit the only reason I would want to do something so stupid would be to see if he was still keeping an eye on my profile. And would he react? Or would he suspect it was just another ruse, a ploy at creating a little entertainment for my followers? God, I felt so pathetic even considering it. In any case, I wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardize the little freedom my brothers and I were given. Usually, our dad didn't condone us hanging out at bars or nightclubs, and we hardly ever did. Being Italian came with a lot of rules and family morals everyone needed to adhere to. From an early age, we were taught to wear sophistication as a second skin and never to disgrace the family. We were
To Love A Bologna Β Β Β | Puppet On A String
πππππππVANESSAI heard my father clear his throat as I approached him.He turned and tried to muster a sweet smile, which I was sure was not humanly possible when it came to my dad."Everything okay, Dad?" I asked and he gave me a nod, took off his suit jacket and placed it by his briefcase before taking off his tie and loosening the top two buttons of his shirt.I kept staring at the tattoo on the top of his hand, the symbol that represented our family-the wolf. The symbol consisted of chains weaved together to form a wolf's face, almost like a tribal sign. Both my brothers and all my uncles and cousins who have decided to devote their lives to the family business have the same symbol tattooed on their hands. My mom, like all the other women in our family, has it on the inside of her wrist. Everyone who had gone through the initiation ceremony received that symbol and wore it as a sign of their loyalty and commitment to the Bologna legacy.I was the only Bologna who hadn't be
To Love A Bologna Β Β Β | Brothers
πππππππVANESSAWithin half an hour, we were at the club and Daniel parked the car outside, but as I was about to get out, Antonio turned in his seat to face me. "Tonight is special, Vanessa. Could you at least try to behave yourself tonight?"My mouth dropped open. "Oh, my God, Antonio, are you serious right now?" This is un-fucking-believable."I'm dead serious, Vanessa. Make sure you stay close to me all night. I don't want you out of my sight at all. That's how serious this is."I crossed my arms and pouted. Yes...I pout. Sue me. "Fine, bodyguard. Anything else? Would you like me to duct tape my hip to yours? Or maybe I could put a big flashing neon sign on my forehead that reads 'I have no life!'"Antonio rolled his eyes. "Grow up, Nessa. And stop being so dramatic.""Grow up, Nessa, and stop being so dramatic," I mouthed in a mocking tone, making sure to use Antonio's 'I'm the boss' voice.Antonio got out of the car, and Daniel turned in his seat to face me."What?" I gro
To Love A Bologna Β Β Β | A Plan In Motion
πππππ JAMES It was nine forty-five, and I was sitting at the bar in Bolivia and staring at the whiskey in my glass. There was no doubt in my mind they would show up tonight. It was Daniel Bologna's birthday today, and everyone knew Daniel was notorious for his party, being the wild one of the Bologna brothers. I also happened to know this was one of his favorite spots. Bolivia was known for its upper-class clientele. It was a three-story club with a bar on the lower level where luxurious leather couches surrounded the black and white checkered dance floor. The second floor was more like a gallery that overlooked the rest of the club and the top floor was something of a mystery to everyone who wasn't someone. The second floor was where all the big VIP fuckers sat, pretending they were watching over their little kingdom of drunken souls. There they were served by waitresses dressed in nothing but shiny red miniskirts and matching crop tops. I was also pretty sure on
To Love A Bologna Β Β Β | Distractions
πππππJAMESA waitress with a tray full of shots walked past them and leaned down while Antonio and Daniel each took a glass. When Vanessa tried to reach for one, Antonio waved the waitress away, leaving Vanessa empty-handed. By the way, she pouted and crossed her arms, I knew she was pissed off. I couldn't stop myself from smiling. She was cute when she was pissed off. She was cute when she smiled too. She was always cute, no matter what she did. I'm such a fucking weirdo. For the next hour and a half, I sat there and watched a lot of them. Daniel had three girls draped over him like Sunday morning's laundry. Antonio was watching a woman dance on the table in front of him, giving him his show. Lucky son of a bitch. What I did notice was Vanessa had been going to the ladies' room quite a lot during the last hour. Something else I noticed tooβwhich her brothers didn'tβwas she had been sneaking in shots en route to and from the ladies' room. Clever girl. The barten
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To Love A Bologna Β Β Β | To The Ends Of The Earth
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
To Love A Bologna Β Β Β | Chaos And Mayhem
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
To Love A Bologna Β Β Β | Save Her
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
To Love A Bologna Β Β Β | Done With This Shit
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
To Love A Bologna Β Β Β | Mine To Defile
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
To Love A Bologna Β Β Β | A Reluctant Pawn
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
To Love A Bologna Β Β Β | Collateral Damage
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
To Love A Bologna Β Β Β | The Bitter Truth
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
To Love A Bologna Β Β Β | Civil War
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
