Twenty-fiveDaniela Berni We were leaving. I woke up to the sound of Niccolo’s alarm on his phone. His arms were wrapped around me tightly. He let out a groan. “Fuck!”I sighed. “Time to go?”He pressed his forehead against mine, and he stroked my cheek. “My guess is that whoever is after us has probably arrived in Italy by now. It will be only a matter of time before they catch us. It’s not safe for us to be here.”“I know.”We got up, and I started to dress in the same clothes that I had worn before.“What are you doing?” he asked.“Getting dressed,” I said as a shrugged on them on.He shook his head, and smiled. “Come with me.”“Okay, but the more time that we waste, the more time that we are going to easily accessible for the scary people with guns to come after us.”He smiled. “I am a scary person with a gun.” He kissed the top of my head. I blushed, and he opened a door in his bedroom that I hadn’t noticed before.“Where’s this go to?” I asked.“It goes to the walk
Twenty-six:Niccolo Capaldi There were some things that I could never tell Daniela. It was one of the many reasons that I had pushed her away in the beginning. I hated the idea of lying to her. We’d been in the thick of things though, and she showed no signs of running. I wouldn’t have blamed her. Of course, we were both in shock over seeing my father dead on the ground. Luca was missing. And Audrina had disappeared.I had a theory about that, but I wanted it to be wrong.Daniela had so few people that she could count on. I hated the idea that now, there was one person less in her circle. She would always have me but I wouldn’t blame her if this was the last straw. If once she got somewhere safe, that was when she decided to leave and get the hell out on her own. Plenty of people would do the same thing and never think twice about it. Daniela said she was ride or die for me, and I had to believe her.I never told her about what happened the day that we saw the man we’d thought was Da
Twenty-seven:Daniela Berni The summer I lost my virginity to Niccolo, we spent every day together. We didn’t always stay in Tropea either. One day, we had a picnic in the countryside. Niccolo had packed everything. There was a blanket, with a basket filled with cheese, grapes, and different meats. He’d also managed to nick wine from the basement without his father or my mother knowing. It was a hot summers day. Niccolo had the car turned on, playing oldies on the radio station. He was kissing me as I was laying down. “So, is this the day where you finally take my flower?” I asked with a smile. Niccolo smirked. “Take your flower?” “I mean, this is a little A Room with a View. Young, naïve girl gets seduced in the Italian countryside by a stranger that she barely knows. It would be the perfect setting.” He stroked my arm. “No. I’m going to enjoy you, Daniela. I told you that. And we’re taking this slow.” “You’re n
Twenty-eight:Niccolo Capaldi The summer before I graduated was the summer that I had to swear allegiance to the Cosa nostra. There were different factions in different cities all with different families running it. It was an intense system, built on loyalty, secrets, and bloodshed. At the end of August, on my eighteenth birthday, I would take what was called an omerta. A vow of silence swearing my allegiance to it. And then I would have to kill someone for them to prove my worth. All summer long, even as I lost myself in Daniela, I kept on waking up in sweat, breathing hard, having nightmares about it. I still remembered finding Audrina’s dad in the hotel, half-dead from a bullet wound and he barely survived. At night, Daniela would slip into my room, and sleep with me. When I woke up, the only thing I could do to get my mind off of the nightmares I had was to lose myself in her. I started by kissing her neck, which always woke her up.Daniela rol
Twenty-nine:Daniela Berni Except for a few instances, I usually felt safe having the Capaldi’s in my life. I had heard of a lot of awful things happening to others who were around similar types of people. But aside from my mother and the incident with Audrina, most of the time I hadn’t had any trouble. There was, however, one other instance that stood out in my memory when I remembered the kind of lifestyle that I was caught up in. The last week of August, right before our senior year, Niccolo’s birthday was going to take place in Rome. Giuseppe took all of us up to the city from the villa, packing all of our stuff with us.On our last day, Niccolo took me into the fashion district in Rome. Rick was our driver that day. “I’ve got something important I have to do today,” he told me, “So Rick’s going to take you shopping. The stores all have accounts with my father. Just tell them it’s the Capaldi account. Get whatever you like. Lingerie, dresses. Your clothes for the school year. I d
Thirty:Niccolo Capaldi There was a field outside of Milan where, when we got there, the private jet had arrived for us. My pilot was waiting outside of it along with the flight crew. “Mr. Capaldi,” he said, “what the hell happened? Why are you covered in blood? Where’s the old man?” “Giuseppe’s dead. My brothers been kidnapped. And Audrina Bianchi is a traitor I just don’t know to who or how.” “Fuck.” The pilot ran a hand through his hair. “Well, that’s quite the way to start a Monday morning. Where to?” “New York. Make sure it’s a private airport, if you know what I mean.” I had hold of Daniela’s hand as I led her onto the plane. She’d been quiet for the whole drive. So had I. It wasn’t easy to be able to drive when you were constantly looking over your shoulder every five seconds to see if someone was following us. But it seemed that Audrina and her people were long gone. The blood from my father had dried on
Thirty-one:Daniela Berni It was the longest plane ride of my life. I showered, changed, and then I fell into bed with Niccolo. Not the way that I wanted. When we got to New York, we ended up at the Capaldi family loft that was owned by Niccolo’s uncle. Once we got there, Domitus Capaldi otherwise known as Dom was waiting for us. He was tall, with “Cousin!” Dom exclaimed, hugging Niccolo to him tightly, patting him on the back. “I’m sorry to hear about Uncle Giuseppe’s passing. I’m glad to see that you’re alive.” Niccolo pulled away from him. “Thank you, cousin. Me too. Oh, you’ve met Daniela. My girlfriend.” I smiled at him.Dom grinned, and kissed my hand. “Nice to see you again, Daniela. I’m happy to see that Niccolo finally quite being an idiot and told you how he felt. It’s about time that the two of you got together.”“Thank you. Thank you for letting us stay with you too. What about you? Any luck with that girl you told me about
Thirty-two:Daniela Berni The first time I slept with Niccolo, someone tried to kill us. Now I was back together with him, and someone was trying to kill us again. It seemed that no matter what I could do I was never going to stay safe. The best thing I could do was to train how to do it myself as much as possible. We had twenty-four hours to turn me into someone lethal enough that could take out Alessandro. And Niccolo was being a big, giant baby about it. “Explain to me why there’s a weapons room in a New York Loft,” I said, “what is this? Is it The Mortal Instruments?” Niccolo frowned. “I don’t know what that is.”His cousin Dom, who was also in the room, smiled. “Well, you never know when you might need a grenade to throw at someone.” I raised an eyebrow. “You have grenade’s in here?” Niccolo coughed. “He was joking.” He glared at Dom. “There’s nothing that dangerous in here.” “Really?” I said, “So what about
Nine Lauren Gallo Present I was able to stay. I anticipated him firing me. I anticipated him following me. I did not anticipate wanting him again. How could anyone go through what I went through with him and still want him? I couldn’t explain it. When I arrive at work the next day, I am humming. I also have his coffee ready for him that I pick up at our old favorite spot. I am there before him. I sit on his desk, and I place the coffee cup on it while I sip mine and smile. After a few minutes, the door opens, revealing him. “Coffee, boss?” He looks from the cup on the desk to me. I can feel his eyes travel up and down my body. I flush. I know I’m flushed. I can feel it from head to toe and I absolutely hate it and love it at the same time. I feel like a teenage girl all over again. His eyes settle on mine. “You greet all of your bosses like that?” I shrug. “Only the ones I like.” He raises an eyebrow. “Did you like my cousin?” I snort, and take a sip of my coffee before I get
EIGHT Domitus Capaldi PresentWhen I had Lauren, I felt like I had the answer to all of my problems. A sweet, little, submissive that did everything I wanted without question. After the accident when she left, at first, I didn’t want anyone. Then, I could no longer deny my urges. So, to keep them in check, I opened Labyrinth. My sex club. Patrons pay for rooms and inside them they can do whatever they want. Each one is paid to each of their specific tastes. And soundproof. All membership costs is a secret. And the absorbent yearly fee, of course. Manhattan real estate doesn’t come cheap, after all, and I have to keep the lights on somehow. I employ both men and women at the club. All kinds. You never know what someone might be into. And, of course, patrons are able to bring their own guests if they want to. What I should really do is throw Lauren over my shoulder, take her here, and have my way with her. But I can’t do that. I’m her boss and, in her mind, she barely knows me. Not
SEVEN Lauren Gallo Past I try not to think too hard about it when I find out from a text from my coach that Mitch was killed in a robbery. I have other things to worry about. Monday morning, my mom and I move my stuff into my dorm at the fancy private school that she’ll be working at and I’ll be going to. “Wow!” she says. “This place is huge.” I nod in agreement. Cagney Academy is on the Upper East Side. By being a student here, I’ll have access to their private ice rink, and Stephanie will be able to devote her time to training just me. Meaning I will have a better shot at the Olympics. As an added bonus, Ellie goes here too, and I’ll have Carla, Domitus’s cousin. The real problem is that I’ll have to deal with Domitus. And the rest of the Capaldi brothers. From stalking Domitus on social, I’ve learned that there are three other Capaldi brothers. Felix, Anthony, and Benedict. Benedict is a short, wirey, brunette kid that’s obsessed with the hockey team that plays at the stadiu
SIX Domitus Capaldi Past The next time I see Lauren Gallo, it’s a week after our little date. The family business and school keeps me away from the rink. But my father is meeting with the stadium manager to talk about getting new sponsors for our sports equipment. He’s also supposed to meet with Mrs. Gallo, Lauren’s Mom, and talk with her about securing her a teaching position at the school that I go to. Cagney Academy, a private school on the Upper East Side. As a teacher, Mrs. Gallo would get free admission for her family and since Lauren is her family, she would be able to go. Meaning I could see her all of the time whenever I want. At the moment, my father is talking with Laurens mom. She has sandy blonde hair, and brown eyes, and seems warry of my father. Smart woman. Most people are charmed by his wealth and good looks. I wonder if she’s dealt with his type before. Lauren says she doesn’t know who her father is, so maybe Mrs. Gallo’s husband was a made man. Or maybe she ju
FIVE Lauren Gallo Present My first thought when I see my ex-boyfriend is that he got taller. And hotter. And I’m fucked. I won’t be able to handle this. I managed to escape Domitus Capaldi once, by faking amnesia and moving half way across the country. But then my high school stalker came back and I was back home, in the city, working for the first man I had run away from. The second one, Michael Russo, had popped up in Los Angeles a few months ago. And I had no idea where he was. But I knew it would only be a matter of time before he popped back up again. He always found me. At least if I was in Domitus’s grasp, I had one monster to scare off another. I thought my cover was blown when Felix saw me. Felix had been my sounding board when I dated Domitus. In fact, I had had a little crush on him for a while but Felix and me had never done anything because we knew that Domitus would kill him if we did. Carla, to her credit, had done her research and knew about my ‘memory lo
FOUR Domitus Capaldi Present “Hey, you’re late.” This comes from my younger brother Felix, which is a surprise to me. Felix normally doesn’t care about anything. He’s twenty-three, a year younger than me, and barely shows up to work half of the time. The title he has is mostly for looks anyway. Felix is almost as tall as me, with black hair that’s slicked back with too much gel, and as many tattoos as I have. In reality, Felix runs most of the family clubs. And by run, I mean, frequents them on a regular basis and pretends to be doing work. “Why do you care?” I ask. “I’m never late. The only reason I was late this morning was because of the traffic.” “Um, well…” “Well, what?” “Well, your new secretary has been hired.” “Good. Shelia’s on bed rest now and it’s been hell using temps. Who did HR hire?” Felix made a face. I sigh. “Just tell me, Felix. I don’t want to play games. If it’s someone I hate, I can just fire them. Remember, I am the head of the New York branch o
THREE Lauren Gallo Past His hand was in between my legs. He touched my pussy. I hadn’t even been kissed yet, but Domitus Capaldi had touched my pussy. I was wearing tights, but I could still feel it, and the wetness in between my legs that came when he touched me there. I had no idea why he had become fixated on me but I didn’t think that he was going to give up on this anytime soon, judging from the hungry look on his face as he watched me while we ate. He has already talked about fucking me. He says that he wants to do it on the table of the restaurant, but that he’ll take me on a bed instead. He is a rich kid who has probably never heard the word no in his life. Meaning he won’t take no from me. Worse, his father owns the place where I practice my skating. The rink that has been the one constant in my life. And the Capaldi family is known for, along with owning half of New York City, shady business deals that involve clubs, drugs, and gambling amongst other things. I’ve neve
TWO Domitus Capaldi Past The first time I saw Lauren Gallo, she was wearing a blue velvet skating outfit, trimmed with fur. With each spin and jump, her little skirt went up, revealing her perfect, pale legs. I imagined my head in between those thighs, devouring her pussy, and making her scream my name and my cock goes hard at the thought. Dad had invested in the old ice-skating rink since my brother’s loved hockey, and he thought he could turn a profit from it. Me, I had never really been interested in sports. I worked out in the gym, and boxed for self-defense, but that was it. I was the heir to the New York branch of Capaldi Industries. My father wanted me to take over for him when he died. I didn’t have time to do anything outside of work for my father. I did everything my father asked of me. Never asking anything for myself. But when I saw Lauren Gallo, I wanted her. She had brown hair, and brown eyes, and a round face with full lips. She was tiny, and her breasts were
ONE Lauren Gallo Past There is someone watching me as I practice. The ice rink is my safe space. As I practice my routine for the millionth time, I can’t focus on anything but the eyes on me. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end. As my routine comes to an end, I straighten up and look for the person watching me. There’s a teenage boy leaning up against the wall of the skating rink. He’s tall, with broad shoulders, jet black hair, and reminds me of a dark prince out of a fantasy novel with high cheek bones and full lips. His hands are tattooed and the long, black, jacket that he wears I imagine hides full sleeves on either arm. An older man comes and talks to him. He looks like him, but with slightly grey hair, in his mid-forties. The older man’s gaze goes from me to the boy and he smirks. The boy rolls his eyes but the dark, heated gaze that he has remains on me. It makes heat go through my legs in a way that I have never felt before. Competitive skating doesn’t leave